At the meeting of the EAPC at the level of Foreign Ministers Luxembourg 29 May 1998

Presentation by Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Blagoj Handziski Mr. Secretary General, Distinguished colleagues, Ladies and gentlemen, Today, we are celebrating the EAPC's first anniversary. A year ago, in Sintra, I was honored to have a lead-in presentation, together with the US Secretary of State, Madam Albright, on the occasion of its establishment. I welcomed, then, the establishment of the EAPC as the new, flexible and dynamic framework for the raising of the level of the political and military cooperation, of the Alliance with the Partners. The comprehensive Progress Report on the implementation of the EAPC Basic Document and the Enhanced PfP, that is in front of us, speaks in its own way, of the considerable progress, achieved in that regard, particularly in both: the expanding of the political dimension of the partnership and the enhancing of the practical cooperation through the substantial strengthening of the PfP. In that respect we particularly welcomed the establishment of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center. Yesterday, our colleagues, the ministers of the Alliance, encouraged us, the Partners, to get involved in developing proposals for promoting regional cooperation with the allies, and in developing of a political-military framework for NATO-led PfP operations. We were particularly encouraged by the reaffirmation of the policy of open door to NATO membership and the readiness to continue with the intensified dialogue on an active basis with those nations that aspire to achieve that ultimate goal. The Republic of Macedonia, as candidate for full membership, has successfully completed the past cycles on the intensified dialogue, and remains firmly committed to participating, even more actively, in the programs of the Enhanced Partnership. We have continually made our contribution, to the strengthening of the security and stability in the South-Eastern Europe, by concrete activities, for developing confidence building measures and successful regional cooperation within the Enhanced Partnership and the EAPC. In that sense, I would, particularly, like to underscore the initiative and the preparation for the holding of the seminar of the Economic Committee for infrastructure linkage and cross-border economic cooperation in South-Eastern Europe, the agreement concluded for cooperation in the field of defense with, almost all, the neighbors and beyond, the participation in the establishment of the first multinational peace force South-East Europe, the organization of the upcoming meeting of the Defense Ministers of the region, the organization of the NATO/PfP military exercise "Cooperative Best Effort", etc... Ladies and Gentlemen, We have learnt many lessons from that cooperation, but we are still aware, that there are more to be learnt. Mr. Secretary General, Dear Colleagues, We share the deep concern about the situation in Kosovo and we salute all the decisions and measures, adopted at yesterday's NAC meeting. They speak of the seriousness by which NATO approaches the resolution of the issue, by peaceful manner, and through and unconditional dialogue, by which, the further deterioration of the situation will be avoided, and the security of the neighboring countries will be strengthened, and lasting peace and stability will be provided for the whole region. As it is well know, NATO, and the other participants, have already made a decisive contribution, in that sense, in Bosnia and Herzegovina by IFOR/SFOR. The decisions and the measures, defined for the protection of the peace and stability of my country, we assess as extremely important and prompt, and we express readiness to actively participate in their operationalisation and implementation. We also salute the option that, in case of further deterioration of the situation in Kosovo, and direct threat of spill-over, NATO troops be, preventively, deployed in the Republic of Macedonia, on the relevant legal basis. Thank you.