Opening
Statement
by Secretary
General of NATO, Lord Robertson
at the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to this meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Euro-Atlantic
Partnership Council.
Over the year that I have had the honour to chair the EAPC, this body
has broadened its agenda and demonstrated its hallmark - flexibility.
This forum, together with the Partnership for Peace, is playing an important
part in changing the face of Europe. We should aim to give further impetus
to our cooperation today.
We gather at a time when change has swept through an area of our continent
that has pre-occupied us all for so long - the Balkans. We have witnessed
tremendous changes in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. I hope this
will allow us to make rapid progress towards our common aim of bringing
lasting peace to that region. We have also witnessed numerous regional
cooperation initiatives which are laying the foundation for a more secure
and prosperous future there. Much remains to be done - but the elements
of a lasting peace are beginning to unfold.
Today's meeting can build on this success and we will exchange views
on the situation in and around Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
We will also examine regional cooperation efforts and how we can further
contribute to building long-term security and stability based on cooperation
throughout the Euro-Atlantic area.
We have been reminded too often in recent years that we should not underestimate
the importance of these tasks for the future of our continent. At a time
when our cooperation is deepening and our Partnership mechanisms provide
us with an ability to act together, we should feel confident about our
future and our ability to meet the challenges ahead.
|
