EAPC Meeting in Ministerial Session 17 Dec. 1997

Speech by Minister Mr. H. Van Mierlo Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Linked to NATO, but also related to the OSCE, the EAPC is an essential part of the European security structure. Both NATO and OSCE have essential roles to play in building a stable peaceful and undivided Europe, and so has the EAPC. Now what are the comparative advantages of the EAPC between those two organisations? In my view the comparative advantage of the EAPC over NATO is that the EAPC encompasses almost all OSCE states. The comparative advantage of the EAPC over the OSCE may be that it is better placed for consultation and cooperation on military aspects of security issues, such as peacekeeping. It might very well be that the EAPC will be called upon to prove its worth as a link between OSCE and NATO if the Minsk process would lead to a peace agreement that requires peacekeeping. I like to suggest that in that case we should consider the possibility for the EAPC to play a role in such a peacekeeping operation on the request of the OSCE. The fate of the EAPC is closely linked to the fate of both NATO and the OSCE. I would therefore like to wish Poland the greatest of success with the difficult task of Chairman-in Office of the OSCE in 1998, and to thank Denmark, the outgoing Chairman-in-Office for all its efforts and wish it success in the coming days.