Press Release M-EAPC (2000)54 25 May 2000

Chairman's Summary Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, held in Florence on 25 May 2000 The Foreign Ministers and Representatives of the member countries of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) met in Florence today. The Secretary-General of the Western European Union also attended the meeting. Ministers welcomed Croatia as the newest (46th) member of the EAPC and of the Partnership for Peace, following its signature of the PfP Framework Document earlier today. The Secretary General of NATO informed the EAPC about the main results of the North Atlantic Council on 24 May and the meetings of the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council and of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. Mr. Bodo Hombach, the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe, briefed Ministers on the work and activities of the Stability Pact aimed at contributing to the building of lasting peace and stability in the region. Ministers reiterated their strong support for the work of the Stability Pact and discussed the contribution of the EAPC and PfP to enhanced regional cooperation and stability in South East Europe. They took note of a progress report on development of NATO's South-East Europe Initiative and its support for the Stability Pact for South-East Europe. Ministers exchanged views on the security situation in the Balkans, in particular in Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ministers noted the significant progress achieved in Kosovo one year after the deployment of KFOR. Ministers addressed issues of continuing concern in Kosovo: ethnic hostility and tension, including in Mitrovica and the Presevo Valley; the need to rebuild civil society and institutions; and the return of refugees and displaced persons. They reaffirmed their commitment to contributing to the goal of a peaceful, multi-ethnic and democratic Kosovo. Ministers recognised the close cooperation between KFOR and the United Nations Missions in Kosovo (UNMIK) in implementing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. Ministers also welcomed the continuing success of SFOR in carrying out its mandate in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ministers underlined the importance of increased consultations within the EAPC framework on Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina in accordance with the Political-Military Framework for NATO-led Operations. They welcomed the review of the implementation of that framework now underway. Ministers discussed the expanding activities of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace and exchanged views on how this cooperation might be further developed and made more effective, including for conflict prevention and crisis management. Ministers noted a report on EAPC activities since their last meeting. They welcomed the work by the EAPC/PfP in supporting and complementing international action in the fields of Small Arms and Light Weapons and Global Humanitarian Mine Action and the work undertaken to foster practical regional cooperation in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Ministers highly appreciated the significant progress since the Washington Summit in implementing the important decisions on further enhancing the Partnership for Peace and making it more operational. They noted a report on the development of the Enhanced and more Operational Partnership and endorsed reports on the implementation of an Operational Capabilities Concept to reinforce PfP operational capabilities and improve Partner interoperability, as well as on the Training and Education Enhancement Programme that aims at increasing the ability of training and education to meet current and future demands of the Partnership. Ministers strongly encouraged further efforts in all these fields. Ministers will meet again in December 2000.