EAPC Conference 10 years of Partnership and Cooperation NATO HQ 09:00 hours 26 October 2001

Speech by Mr Emilio Colombo Chairman, Italian Atlantic Committee Mr Secretary General, Your excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to begin by congratulating the Secretary General of NATO, who has succeeded in gathering here today the key players of a period during which the entire world has experienced the major changes of an era. As for myself, I am pleased to be here today with many of my former colleagues celebrating the unqualified success of Ten Years of Euro-Atlantic Partnership and Co-operation. This Partnership has, in the past ten years, also made it possible to create and strengthen a vast stability and security zone in the Old World, and even beyond its traditionally recognized borders. We have seen a boom in the number of countries that have decided to share the values and goals that inspired the creation of the Alliance and shaped the course of its history. What changed the framework was the return of new democracies to Europe, where the former opposition between East and West no longer exists. That surprising development gave the Alliance a unique opportunity to consider building a new European security architecture that is open to the countries of Central and Southeastern Europe, and indeed to Russia. It also provided the basis for NATO to review its role in a rapidly changing role. In the early 1990s, NATO had suddenly become the only major political-military alliance to have survived the circumstances that had led to its creation. At a time when some feared NATO might lose its identity, work to support dialogue and co-operation with the new democracies began at once so that the division of Europe might be definitively overcome. This revealed a new dimension of Europe that identified increasingly with a community of values derived from the cultural and political heritage shared by Mr De Gasperi, Mr Adenauer and Mr Schuman. In this policy framework that aimed to strengthen relations with the other part of Europe, the North Atlantic Co-operation Council was created in late 1991. It was superseded in 1997 by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, which provided the first forum for consultation and co-operation between NATO member countries and the Partner nations. The deeper reason for that development goes to the very heart of the Euro-Atlantic community's values. In this way an attempt was made to create a new security equation uniting the new Europe produced by the fall of the Berlin Wall on the one hand and the Atlantic community on the other. At the same time, a broader community emerged in which each country was prepared to share the Euro-Atlantic community's strategic interests and values. In this regard, I would like to stress the highly political role played by the Atlantic Alliance, which decided, at a critical moment in international relations, to open itself up to the world and become, as I have already said, the main pillar of a new security architecture. That decision was not an easy one to take, but today we are highly satisfied with it. Nobody imagined that 46 countries, from Switzerland to Turkmenistan, could be linked by an impressive network of relationships centred around NATO and based on the values of solidarity, dialogue and - even at that early stage - co-operation. This was the basis for the launching, in 1994, of the Partnership for Peace, which has been a resounding success. From the outset the Partnership has invested in human resources: from the armed forces that could be deployed during future military operations to the defence community leaders who could be called on to work and take part in the decision-making process in order to promote Euro-Atlantic security and stability. After ten years of Euro-Atlantic co-operation, and ever since the creation of the Partnership for Peace, which now offers its co-operation to 27 non-NATO countries, we can honestly claim to have succeeded beyond all expectations. NATO is considered by its Partners as a key player in the international defence and security system in anticipation of the new challenges we will have to face in the coming years. Our presence here in Brussels today attests to that extraordinary outcome. The Partnership has become one of the international community's main instruments in its multilateral actions in support of peace and stability, and it is part of a comprehensive strategy to come up with realistic long-term solutions. The Partnership is therefore a dynamic entity. It has served as the basis for many initiatives designed to contribute to Euro-Atlantic security and stability, and it will evolve as the Allies and Partners look into other ways of deepening their co-operation. It was particularly in Southeastern Europe, where the need for stability has so far been the greatest and most pressing, that the Partnership has increasingly contributed to managing crises, building confidence, and preventing the rekindling of conflicts. Investment in this collective effort yielded its first tangible dividends in the NATO-led operations in the Balkans. I would like to emphasize that, because of Italy's significant commitment to the Balkans, a region in which we have benefited from the excellent co-operation provided by the Partner countries. In this regard, the importance of Italy's role within NATO cannot pass unnoticed. It is a role that was built through dynamic participation in Operation Alba and the missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, and through the election of an Italian as chairman of the Military Committee. Moreover, its foundation was a policy that was capable of making a contribution in harmony with the Alliance's new dimension and new international requirements. Finally, I would like to add that the developments following the tragic events of 11 September have confirmed NATO's role as a reference and meeting point for the democracies of the Euro-Atlantic zone. With our presence here today we are celebrating not only ten years of Euro-Atlantic co-operation but also reaffirming our shared values and the need to act out of solidarity in order to safeguard them. In recent weeks, there have been many opportunities to realize their importance and, in particular, witness the great spirit of solidarity that unites the members of the Euro-Atlantic community and all its Partners. The collective measures adopted by the Allies, giving concrete form to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty for the first time in NATO's history, have clearly demonstrated the Allies' determination, their commitment to supporting the fight against terrorism, and their desire to make a contribution. Furthermore, the declarations of solidarity by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the NATO-Russia Permanent Council and the NATO-Ukraine Commission have proved beyond a doubt that the community sharing Atlantic values has grown and evolved impressively. In that connection, I would like to stress the opportunity now afforded us to develop and strengthen co-operation and dialogue between NATO and Russia, with renewed impetus for building a new Euro-Atlantic security architecture. To conclude my speech, I would like to say that in the coming years the Atlantic Alliance will be called upon to participate actively in the major changes now taking place around the world. It is a transformed NATO that will play the lead role in the new scenario in which it will be increasingly involved. This is a natural evolution for an organization that has succeeded in adapting to new circumstances while maintaining its identity. In future NATO will be able to develop its new dimension and new role as it supports the complementary process of creating a Europe of security and defence. Within this framework, Italy - with its loyalty to the transatlantic link and its historic role as a catalyst within the European community - can continue to make a significant contribution on these two fronts, which are an essential frontier for international balance in the post-bipolar world. Thank you for your attention.