Madrid, Spain 4 June 2003

Statement by Solomon Passy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria at the EAPC Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Madrid, June 4, 2003 Panel I: New Threats to Security and the Role of Partnership in Dealing with Them Secretary General, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, Foremost, I would like to thank the Spanish Government for hosting this meeting and express ray appreciation of the excellent working conditions provided. I feel deeply satisfied with the fruitful and interesting discussion we have had so far and I hope that my intervention will further contribute to it. It is my conviction that in today's world of drastically changed security environment, NATO's future relevance will be measured, inevitably, by its ability to change and adapt. And Partnership has a crucial role to play in the process. That is why the subject of our panel rightfully deserves deliberation and exchange of opinions. In the aftermath of the tragic events of 9/11, we are faced with new, global, asymmetrical threats to security, such as terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. These have fundamentally altered the world we were used to live in. Traditional mechanism and forms of interaction and cooperation now have to be adapted to the imperatives of a qualitatively different security environment, subjected to the logic of globalization. Our common future now hugely depends on our ability to provide for rapid, flexible and long-range response to crises. To exercise such ability we would need a shared understanding of priorities, adequately developed capabilities and working mechanisms to make use of them. To my understanding and belief, NATO constitutes a precious asset in the face of new threats to security. The Alliance has, so far, demonstrated a considerable ability to act in a timely and efficient manner. Events of the last one year and a half are a telling example thereof. NATO rightfully evoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty following terrorist attacks in the US. According to provisions of Article 4, regardless some difficulties, Allies managed to provide for Turkey's security in the wake of military action in Iraq. Recently, an agreement was reached on the Alliance's role in Afghanistan - to take up the highly responsible task of command and coordination. Only over a week ago, NATO made a. relatively small but critical step in post-conflict Iraq by declaring readiness to support Poland. To that, we have to add the historic Prague Summit, whose follow-up decisions are to define the Alliance's role in the 21st century. The reality today is that NATO is no longer a regional actor. It has responsibilities reaching beyond the Euro-Atlantic area. Success in meeting those responsibilities depends very much on concerted and resolute action of Allies and Partners in the process of adaptation. Before all, we need to think about practical tools and mechanisms. To that end, the creation of the NATO Response Force and the rationalisation of the command structure, as well as the implementation of the Prague Capabilities Commitment, are crucial. Because these were designed to endow the Alliance with the operational capacities it would need to live up to its enlarged scope of tasks in the fight against new threats to security. Another important adaptation instrument is the further differentiation and individualisation of Partnership schemes. Bulgaria welcomes the adoption of the Individual Partnership Action Plans, tailored to the needs of each and every country. We believe they could contribute to enhancing the efficiency and mutual benefits of cooperation. In the same line of reasoning, further development and broadening of the political framework for cooperation, in the EAPC format, has to be pursued. The same is equally true with regard to the military cooperation within thePfP. As a future member of NATO, Bulgaria remains strongly committed to both EAPC and PfP. We believe Partnership should be kept high on the Alliance's agenda. It proved to be useful and efficient in solving the Balkan crises in die past. It will surely be needed for the future to better meet the challenges of a changing security environment. In that sense, we welcome the idea of a more focused and substantial Partnership, embodied, not the least, by the adoption, in Prague, of a Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism. Further deepening of regional approach to Partnership is another important factor in dealing with new threats. Bulgaria has always advocated a strong Alliance's commitment to South-East Europe and the Western Balkans in particular, as a means to help modernise and integrate the region into the Euro-Atlantic structures. We are satisfied that such approach has been continuously applied. Moreover, presently it has been undergoing a period of intensification. At the end of last month, NATO together with the EU, the OSCE and the Stability Pact initiated a Conference on Border Security and Management that took place in Ohrid. The forum made a valuable contribution to this key area of security in the Western Balkans. It was also an eloquent demonstration of will to endow common efforts with greater an impetus and clearer a perspective, as well as to better coordinate and plan for the future, so that any unnecessary and undesired duplication of efforts in the pursuit of a common goal could be avoided. Before concluding, I would like to express satisfaction with the progress made in the context of Partnership, as outlined in the Chairman's report on the activities of the EAPC in the first half of 2003 and the other documents presented to this meeting. Ladies and Gentlemen, Successful dealing with new threats to security inevitably passes through the establishment and implementation of an active, focused and individually tailored Partnership. The prerequisites for it already exist. Its parameters, objectives and functional mechanisms have been set It is up to us all - Allies and Partners - to translate those into practice in a timely manner the best way we can. Thank you for your attention.