EAPC Foreign Ministers meeting Brussels 16 Dec. 1999

Address by HH. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Mr. Secretary General, Your Excellencies, The year which will come to the end very soon has been indeed a pivotal one for the Alliance and the partner countries: NATO has celebrated its 50th anniversary while continuing to advance significantly towards its adaptation for the 21st century; three new members have joined the Alliance which reiterated its "open door policy" and launched the Membership Action Plan; a New Strategic Concept was adopted, that strikes an improved balance between NATO's traditional task of collective defence and its new missions and goals; the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and the Partnership for Peace have been enhanced, thus allowing partners to increase their participation in the building of our common security; and last but not least the Alliance has successfully conducted a complex air campaign in the Balkans and engaged itself in the challenging task of enhancing peace and stability in Southeastern Europe. The crisis in Kosovo has confronted the international community with one of the greatest challenges since the end of the Cold War. But challenges often go hand in hand with opportunities. It was on the verge of and during the Kosovo crisis that institutions proved their viability, while peoples and governments tested their commitment towards defending basic values and principles. Moreover, it was during the Kosovo crisis that the virtues of international solidarity became more apparent and human suffering reversed political calculations. A very important lesson learned from Kosovo is that the European security is indivisible. It became more clear even during the crisis that the new challenges to stability, including those stemming from a democratic and economic development deficit, can be removed or at least contained through common endeavours only. At the same time, the Kosovo crisis and its aftermath, including the deployment of KFOR, have shown the value and the potential of regional cooperation in the field of security under the EAPC/PfP umbrella, and the necessity to further enhance this cooperation. One has to build upon what countries in the region have done during the crisis and on the realisation that its successful resolution would have been more difficult if not even impossible without their contribution. For Romania the crisis in Kosovo presented the opportunity to once again contribute to the enhancement of international security. Romania's behaviour during the Kosovo crisis as a de facto Ally was a natural consequence of the support of and the solidarity with NATO's efforts towards the reinforcement of peace, security and stability in Southeastern Europe. At the same time, Romania's stand represented the expression of the manner in which it understands to assume risks and responsibilities together with the Alliance, thus acting as a security provider and a reliable partner seeking NATO membership. I would like to reconfirm that Romania's participation in KFOR will become effective starting from January next year. Romania actively and firmly supports NATO's Southeastern Europe Initiative, the implementation of which is appropriately reflected in the "Summary Consolidated Progress Report" submitted for our endorsement. Romania intends to contribute, by giving substance, to all activities under SEEI, including the Consultative Forum on Security Issues on Southeastern Europe. We hold the view that, by its nature and composition, this Forum is one of the important tools enabling NATO and partners in the region to play a key role in the implementation of the security objectives of the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe. Mr. Secretary General, Romania pays a special attention to the next NATO enlargement phase. We consider that this should take place in a reasonable time-frame so that the Open Door Policy be further substantiated by new concrete steps, on the same principles as those applied to the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. As already known, Romania presented its National Annual Program on September 27, 1999, and has so far had two assessment meetings with representatives of both NATO structures and member states. We appreciate the genuine feed-back that has been provided by NATO during these meetings. Romania is determined to build on the basis of the conclusions that were drawn and to continue to work towards achieving the objectives set out by the program. During 1999, Romania has continued to actively participate in PfP activities and exercises. Romania is supportive of and contributes to the implementation of the PfP related initiatives that were launched at the Washington Summit. This is yet another evidence of the importance we attach to the Enhanced and More Operational PfP both as an instrument for strengthening cooperation among all the countries in the Euro- Atlantic region and a vehicle for preparation for NATO membership. Romania is of the view that EAPC and PfP are to play a strengthened role in expanding NATO patterns of addressing security challenges. We consider that the experience achieved so far must be capitalized by both partners and allies, through strengthening the security related cooperation, including training and education, political military consultations, participation in decision-making, and real time communication. This experience is by its nature able to give substance to all EAPC/PfP initiatives such as the "Political Military Framework for NATO-led PfP Operations", the "Operational Capabilities Concept", the "Planning and Review Process", and the 'PfP Training and Education Enhancement Programme". I would conclude by welcoming the EAPC Action Plan 2000-2002. The new cooperation areas that have been included and the proposed activities could bring a meaningful contribution to enhancing the role of EAPC. In this context, I would like to reiterate that Romania is attaching a particular interest to the workshop that it is going to host in March 2000 on "Enabling Mechanisms and Generic Agreements in Crisis Management". I thank you very much for your attention