Prague 22 Nov. 2002

Statement by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark at the Meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council at the level of Heads of State and Government NATO is part of a stability-enhancing web of relations with partner countries. In May we opened a new chapter in our relations with Russia. The NATO-Russia Council has provided us with a forum for close co-operation on equal terms. Today, we will take steps to enhance our co-operation with partners in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. The partnership in the EAPC is a strong reflection of NATO’s openness and our genuine wish to co-operate closely with our neighbours. Yesterday, NATO invited seven Partners to join the Alliance. At the same time, we made it clear that the door is still open for new members. We also made far-reaching decisions on how to better meet the security challenges of the 21st Century. These decisions will unavoidably bring change to our NATO/Partner cooperation. For that reason I welcome the establishment of the new bilateral and multilateral initiatives for partner cooperation. They are important additions to the existing partner tools, where cooperation on training, standards and force planning still remain the core of our relations.