Statement
4 June 2003 |
Statement
Meeting of the NATO-Russia Council
at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs
Madrid, Spain, Wednesday 4 June 2003
On 28 May 2003, the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) marked
its first anniversary. One year ago, the Heads of State and Government
of NATO member states and Russia gathered in Rome. Their purpose was to
open a new page in their relations, aimed at enhancing their ability to
work together in areas of common interest and to stand together against
common threats and risks to their security.
Contributing to forging a safer and more prosperous future for all members
of the NRC, and to the benefit of all in the Euro-Atlantic region, substantial
work has been undertaken over the past year in the framework of the NRC.
Across the full spectrum of tasks defined in the Rome Declaration, the
NRC is evolving into a productive mechanism for consultation, consensus
building, cooperation, joint decision and joint action. As a result, NATO-Russia
relations are being elevated to a new quality.
The NRC is developing a continuous political dialogue on security issues
with a view to early identification of emerging problems, determination
of optimal common approaches and the conduct of joint actions, as appropriate.
Enhanced cooperative efforts will further increase the capability of NATO
and Russia to act together, including through greater interoperability.
As envisioned by the Rome Declaration, the NRC is thus making a solid
contribution to the long-standing common goal of building a stable, peaceful
and undivided Europe.
On 4 June 2003, we, the Foreign Ministers of the NATO-Russia Council,
met in Madrid. As part of the continuous political dialogue envisioned
in the Rome Declaration, Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the contributions
of the NRC to Euro-Atlantic security. We welcomed the results of recent
NRC consultations on the situations in Afghanistan, Serbia and Montenegro,
and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We further highlighted the common views and
objectives agreed by the NRC in the area of border security in the Balkans,
and looked forward to enhancing practical cooperation in this field.
Welcoming the results of the 13 May meeting of the NRC at Ambassadorial
level in Moscow – the first-ever meeting of the Council on Russian
soil, we noted the substantial progress made in moving forward practical
cooperation in all fora of the NRC over the past year in each of the areas
of cooperation highlighted in the Rome Declaration:
- In the struggle against terrorism, we welcomed the agreed
detailed threat assessments on the terrorist threat to the Euro-Atlantic
area, and looked forward to further work in this field. We expressed
confidence that the successful Moscow Conference on the Role of the
Military in Combating Terrorism would result in further intensification
of NRC cooperation. We also noted encouraging progress in NATO-Russia
initiatives for combating terrorism through civil science.
- In crisis management, we expressed satisfaction with the
substantial contributions the Russian contingents in peace operations
in Bosnia-Herzegovina and in Kosovo, namely in SFOR and KFOR, had made
to the common mission of promoting peace and stability in the Balkans,
and confidence that the practical experience gained through these operations
would provide a solid basis for further expanding military-to-military
cooperation. We noted the approval by the NRC of political modalities
for possible future NRC peacekeeping operations, and welcomed the launch
of a procedural exercise to address these modalities. We welcomed the
continued exchange of views on peacekeeping issues, and in particular,
the intention of holding a seminar in Berlin in the autumn on enhancing
interoperability in peacekeeping through training and education.
- In non-proliferation, we welcomed the progress achieved
to date and looked forward to a joint assessment of the threats posed
by the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, and
their means of delivery, expected later this year.
- In arms control and confidence-building measures, we noted
the assurance of NATO member states that decisions taken by the Alliance
at its Summit meeting in Prague are not directed against the security
interests of Russia or any other Partner state. We reiterated the goals,
principles and commitments contained in the Founding Act on Mutual Relations,
Cooperation and Security, and in the Rome Declaration, which apply to
all current and future members of the Alliance. We recalled that NATO’s
position on providing political assurances of restraint, expressed in
these same documents, has not changed. Reaffirming adherence to the
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) as a cornerstone
of European security and reaffirming our determination to fulfill the
commitments reflected in the Final Act of the 1999 Conference of the
States Parties to the CFE Treaty, and calling upon all States Parties
to promote achievement of this shared goal, we agreed to continue to
work cooperatively toward ratification by all the States Parties and
entry into force of the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty, which
would permit accession by non-CFE states. We welcomed the approach of
those non-CFE countries who have stated their intention to request accession
to the adapted CFE Treaty upon its entry into force, and agreed that
their accession would provide an important additional contribution to
European stability and security. We reiterated our determination to
take practical steps to further implement the NATO-Russia Nuclear Experts
Consultations Work Plan, with a focus on activities related to nuclear
weapons safety and security.
- In theatre missile defence, we welcomed the progress that
has been made in developing a common terminology and conceptual basis
for potential future TMD deployments to support a Crisis Response Operation
(CRO) involving NATO and Russian forces. We noted an agreement on the
first phase of a detailed interoperability study addressing technical
requirements and possibilities for co-operation in joint, combined operations.
The study, coupled with the agreement to plan and conduct a NATO-Russia
TMD Command Post Exercise in the United States, confirms the commitment
of the 20 nations to develop practical approaches to working together
and enhancing interoperability between Allied and Russian systems.
- In search and rescue at sea, we welcomed the signature of
the NATO-Russia Framework Agreement on Submarine Crew Escape and Rescue,
and reaffirmed our commitment to enhanced cooperation in search and
rescue at sea.
- In military-to-military cooperation, an essential prerequisite
for NATO and Russia to act together on the basis of continuously enhanced
interoperability, we welcomed the decision, reflected in the 2003 NRC
Work Programme, to intensify NRC cooperation in military training and
exercises. We noted the approval by NRC Chiefs of Defence and General
Staff at their meeting in Brussels on 13 May of the Conceptual Framework
for the development of the four-phase exercise and training programme.
We further welcomed the concrete progress achieved to date in advancing
NATO-Russia cooperation on logistics, air transport and air-to-air refuelling.
- In defence reform, we welcomed the results of the Rome Seminar,
and the subsequent decision to develop cooperation, inter alia, on a
general framework of defence reform and evolution of the military, the
management of human and financial resources, managing consequences of
defence reform and the reform of defence industries. Noting the fundamental
importance of the modernisation and restructuring of armed forces to
meet contemporary security threats, we reaffirmed our determination
to intensify cooperation in this area, including on macro-economic,
financial and social issues of defence reform, so that the members of
the NRC might benefit from each other’s experience. We noted with
satisfaction the practical contributions that have been made by the
NATO-Russia Centre for Officer Retraining.
- In civil emergencies, we welcomed the results of the exercises
“Bogorodsk 2002,” hosted by Russia in September 2002, and
“Ferghana 2003”, hosted by Uzbekistan in April 2003, both
held under the auspices of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination
Centre (EADRCC). As previously agreed, NRC work on civil emergency planning
will concentrate initially on the three areas of enhanced interoperability,
improving procedures and intensified sharing of information, expertise
and experiences.
- On new threats and challenges, we welcomed progress made
in scientific cooperation and in relation to the challenges of modern
society and noted an Action Plan for 2003, which seeks to enhance cooperation
in areas such as advanced training in environmental protection, re-use
of former military lands, improving the quality of water adjacent to
military sites and environmentally friendly industrial technologies.
- On the NRC Cooperative Airspace Initiative, which aims at
enhancing co-operation in airspace management, safety and transparency,
we noted that a feasibility study to identify possible solutions for
the reciprocal exchange of data on civil and military air traffic pictures
had been agreed, funded and was in the early stages of development.
Concluding this constructive review of cooperative efforts underway
in the NRC, we reiterated our determination to continue to intensify practical
cooperation in each of these areas within the framework of the NATO-Russia
Council. We further underscored our determination to continue and deepen
the development of political dialogue in the NRC.
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