in relation to other neighbouring countries, including Belarus. NB8 Wise Men Report During the co-ordination of the co-operation among the NB-8 Foreign Ministries in 2012, Latvia initiated the preparation of a comprehensive analysis and recommendation how to advance the Nordic-Baltic co-operation. Latvia, presiding over the Baltic Council of Ministers in 2010, and Denmark, chairman of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2010, nominated two high level representatives (rapporteurs) – former Latvian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mr Valdis Birkavs representing the Baltic countries and former Danish Minister of Defense Mr Søren Gade representing the Nordic countries – to provide the respective analysis. Before compiling the NB8 Co-operation Report (NB8 Wise Men Report), which was completed in August 2010, the rapporteurs made a very intensive consultation process with representatives from all the NB8 countries. Practical implementation of the Wise Men's 38 recommendations is ongoing. Concrete suggestions were made in the following fields: Foreign political dialogue. Cooperation on diplomatic representations. Civil security, including cyber security. Defense cooperation. Energy. The NB8 brand. The Birkavs - Gade report with the initial recommendations has been presented for the NB8 Ministerial meeting in Helsinki on 26–27 August 2011. A number of other Birkavs - Gade report recommendations have been or are being implemented consecutively. Reinforced diplomatic cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries One of the Birkavs - Gade recommendations proposed that sharing diplomatic facilities is a way of increasing diplomatic representation in parts of the world where budgetary constraints and priorities would otherwise have prevented such representation. At the same time extended cooperation in this field could also contribute to making NB8 cooperation more visible. More should therefore be done in the area of joint diplomatic representation. A first step could be the setting up of an informal clearing house where the NB8 countries could share information about opportunities for housing other NB8 countries' diplomats. On 30 August 2011 the Nordic and Baltic Ministers of Foreign Affairs signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the posting of diplomats at each other's missions abroad. The Memorandum made it easier for the Nordic and Baltic countries to maintain a diplomatic presence around the world by enabling flexible and cost-effective solutions. This reinforced diplomatic cooperation coincided with the twentieth anniversary of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania regaining their freedom and re-establishing diplomatic relations with other countries. The memorandum regulates the diplomatic and practical aspects of posting diplomats to the mission