NATO HQ EAPC Foreign Ministers Meetings 16 Dec. 1999

Statement by H.E. Mr. Irakli Menagarishvili Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia We are meeting for the first time since the Washington Summit which recognized the valuable role of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council as a forum for regular consultations and cooperation. The decisions taken at this Summit and reflected in the related documents gave a strong impetus to the development of a closer partnership between Allies and Partners. We regard them to be of decisive importance for drawing up a new Euro-Atlantic security architecture. The events in Kosovo once again revealed the necessity for the Euro-Atlantic community to have effective crisis management capability in order to cope with potential crises that might occur in different parts of Europe. The Kosovo campaign is a clear warning that the international community will not stand aside and allow ethnic cleansing to take place. This should serve as a powerful deterrent to anyone harbouring such plans. Committed to the objectives of the international community to restore peace and stability in the Balkans, Georgia has deployed its first peacekeeping platoon in Kosovo. However, we consider that there should be no marginal conflicts in the Euro-Atlantic area and thus the other conflicts, namely in Abkhazia, Georgia, should be treated with similar concern. We are satisfied with the implementation of the EAPC Action Plan in 1999 the report of which is presented to us by the Chairman. The EAPC has played a useful role for consultations on the situation in the Balkans. At the same time we believe that the consultation mechanism needs further enhancement. The work undertaken by various EAPC open-ended ad hoc working groups is also noteworthy. Their work has already proved the usefulness of various spheres, be they functional or regional, being introduced within the EAPC. We believe that working in ad hoc formats is a big advantage of the EAPC since it enriches us in terms of better understanding of problems common for the EAPC countries or certain regions of the Euro-Atlantic area. In this regard, 1999 has been rather productive for Georgia in the context of cooperation within EAPC. In July 1999 the EAPC accepted a Georgian proposal to establish the open-ended Ad hoc Working Group on the Caucasus. Having met several times, the AHWG has identified several areas to develop practical regional cooperation for the near future. Scheduled activities in these areas could serve as a basis for further work. We believe that this framework will contribute to strengthening regional cooperation in the Caucasus and produce more security in the region as well as in the Euro-Atlantic area. Georgia also supports other documents submitted to us since we think that by enhancing PfP and elaborating more operational partnership the EAPC could make a valuable contribution to strengthening security and stability in Europe. I would like to use this opportunity to express my satisfaction with the agreement achieved at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul between Georgia and the Russian Federation on the reduction of Russian military presence in Georgia. The contribution of the EAPC community to its implementation process would be very essential in this regard. Finally, let me draw your attention to the developments in and around Chechnya and our grave concerns with regard to the implications of this conflict for regional security. An unstable situation in Chechnya is dangerous enough to destabilise the whole region of the Caucasus. The escalation of the conflict could not only lead to spreading military operations to other parts of the region but could also threaten the development of economic and democratic processes in the entire region. As a result of the conflict in Chechnya, Georgia has already sheltered more than 5 thousand Chechen refugees, mainly women, children, and elderly people. They have attention and care but unfortunately Georgia already has almost 300 thousand displaced persons from Abkhazia. New waves of refugees from Chechnya may not only complicate the existing difficult situation in our country but also provoke a spillover of the conflict on Georgian territory. We are also worried by various and groundless statements regarding arms transfers to Chechnya via Georgia. That is viewed by us as an attempt to involve our country in the conflict. Georgia will continue to take relevant measures in order to prevent any such developments. As a sovereign state, Georgia is opposed to the use of its territory by any forces involved in the conflict in Chechnya. In this respect, I would like to highly value the recent statements by EU, NAC and the Council of Europe, expressing their concern about possible spillover of the conflict in Chechnya to neighbouring countries. I hope that the Chairman's Summary of our meeting will include the note in this regard. We believe that international organisations, particularly UN, OSCE and EAPC, should further focus their attention on the Caucasus. Due to recent events on the Chechen segment of the Georgian-Russian border, Georgia appealed to the OSCE with the request to establish special monitoring units. Similar measures are being discussed with the UN. Some contribution to the monitoring process could have also been made by the EAPC. Additionally, since this region of the Russian Federation is a part of the Euro-Atlantic area, in our view, it would be rational to use the EAPC format for consultations on the elaboration of preventive measures against possible spillover of the conflict. In conclusion, I would like to stress the following: thanks to the joint efforts of Allies and Partners the situation in the Balkans is hopefully improving. In general terms there are positive trends in the Caucasus as well. But the threat of destabilisation is real and very dangerous. Thus, this is a time when the Caucasus needs the same approach and support of the Euro-Atlantic community that the Balkans enjoy. Thank you.