Almaty, Kazakhstan 10 July 2003 In Russian

“ NATO and Kazakhstan : Meeting 21st Century Challenges Together” Speech by NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to be back in Kazakhstan. I last visited your country three years ago and a great deal has happened since that time. NATO and Kazakhstan have come much closer together, politically and even geographically! Which is why I was keen to come here today to talk about the challenges that we both face, and how we can work together to meet them. I remember well how, during my visit three years ago, I discussed with Kazakh officials the volatile situation in Afghanistan, the protection which the Taliban were giving to terrorists, and how that was affecting the wider region. But none of us could have imagined at that time just how soon terrorism would hit us all, and how devastating its impact would be. Now, of course, we do know. With the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the international security map was redrawn. Like-minded countries of the world are now engaged in combating the menace of terrorism. And the entire international community has been challenged to guarantee its security in new ways, and in new places. NATO has taken up this challenge. It has done so with vigour, and with determination. In Afghanistan many NATO nations have been involved in counter-terrorist operations. They have also contributed to the International Security Assistance Force that was deployed following the removal of the Taliban regime. And this last April, the Alliance agreed to take over the leadership of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul. There were two reasons for this decision. First, to ensure the effectiveness and continuity of the ISAF operation. This will also help enhance the Afghan authorities and allow them to better project their authority outside Kabul. But secondly the decision also demonstrates to the people of Afghanistan and other countries in the region – including the people of Kazakhstan – the strong commitment of the international community to provide stability and security. The deployment of NATO forces to Afghanistan, well beyond the Alliance’s traditional boundaries, is a major new development for NATO. A development which was simply inconceivable two years ago. But one which clearly underlines the strong consensus that now exists among the Allies on NATO’s roles and responsibilities in the new security environment. Being prepared to deploy forces to regions outside Europe is an important part of NATO’s transformation. But it is not the only part. We are implementing a new military concept for the defence against terrorism, and taking steps to better protect our populations and forces against weapons of mass destruction. We are setting up a NATO Response Force, to be able to react quickly to threats to our security. And we are making improvements to our forces, to enable them to deploy quickly and over long distances, and to stay in the field for as long as necessary. At NATO’s Prague Summit in November last year we agreed, together with Kazakhstan and the other countries in our Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, a Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism. We decided to enhance our political consultation on this threat. And we agreed to develop practical programmes to combat it, coordinated through the Action Plan. Active participation in the implementation of the Plan is one way for Kazakhstan to play a greater role in the fight against terrorism. Kazakhstan could also make an important contribution by working more closely with its neighbours. Because terrorism is closely linked to a whole range of other problems that are endemic to this entire region, such as organised crime, porous borders, and illegal migration. These are problems that cannot be resolved by any country acting in isolation. They are cross-border problems that require cross-border, regional approaches. Promoting such regional cooperation is another central objective of our Partnership “post-Prague”. Kazakhstan, I know, is aware of the merits of regional cooperation. It has pursued pragmatic cooperation with Russia and several other countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States. It has, especially after 11 September 2001, sought to complement economic cooperation with its Central Asian neighbours with cooperation in other areas, including in security and defence matters. And together with Russia and its Central Asian neighbours, it has expanded contacts with its other big neighbour, China, notably through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Kazakhstan has also pursued regional cooperation in the context of our Euro-Atlantic Partnership. It has taken an active role in initiatives related to disaster preparedness, such as the large NATO-led disaster response exercise that was held in Uzbekistan in April. And it is part of the NATO-sponsored Virtual Silk Highway Project that has established Internet connectivity between the countries of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the rest of the world. So clearly, as far as regional cooperation is concerned as well, there is a solid basis to build on – to deepen existing cooperation, and to broaden it to new areas, including the fight against terrorism. But let me, at this point, make one important observation. Fighting terrorism is a crucial challenge -- one that requires firmness and determination on the part of all our governments working together. But part of this effort must be to protect and promote democratic institutions, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law within our countries. Because, as we have seen in Afghanistan, in an environment where these attributes do not exist, where they are underdeveloped or under threat, terrorism finds a fertile breeding ground. This points to another, central objective of NATO’s Partnership policy, which is to help our Partners with democratic reform and the establishment of effective institutions, including the difficult task of bringing security services and military establishments under effective democratic control. Partnership also aims to ensure that military and security services are appropriately sized, structured and funded to meet the requirements that are made of them. Last year Kazakhstan joined the Planning and Review Process. This has allowed it to benefit from NATO assistance in gearing its military forces to the security risks in its own region, and making a contribution to peacekeeping further afield. Good progress has been made in these areas, and I encourage you to build on it. There is a lot more on offer through Partnership for Peace and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. Until now, resource constraints, language difficulties and your geographic location have made it difficult for Kazakhstan to derive the same benefits from cooperation with NATO as other Partner countries have done. But rather than to lament these challenges, I think they should motivate us to focus our cooperation on the critical areas that I have mentioned. NATO wants to extend its cooperation with Kazakhstan, but there are also limits to what the Alliance can do. The future of this country, and of this region, depends first and foremost on the determination of its own political leaders. I realise full well that it is not easy to break with the past, to initiate and sustain genuine domestic reforms, and to adjust to a fast-changing international environment. But all these steps will be well worth the effort if they help to unlock the enormous political and economic potential of Central Asia. And I firmly believe they will.