NATO HQ 2 Apr. 2004

Address by H.E. Mr. Antanas Valionis Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania at the Ceremonial Session of the North Atlantic Council on the Occasion of the Accession of Seven New Members to the Alliance News 02/04/2004 - NATO Ceremony to mark the accession to NATO Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Dear Colleagues: This day is special for Lithuania. Seeing our flag raised at NATO Headquarters this morning marks one of the most remarkable moments in Lithuania's history. It reminded me of October 1989, when our flag fluttered again, for the first time after 50 years of suppression, at the Gediminas Tower of our capital city Vilnius. It reminded me of September 1991, when our flag was raised in front of the United Nations building in New York city. It also reminds me of hundreds of Lithuanian soldiers representing this flag in various NATO missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and possibly under an expanded NATO role -- in Iraq. Today is a red-letter day for all of us, who have been working to achieve a "Europe whole and free and at peace". We have taken another important step towards unifying Europe. We are also working with aspiring European countries, because we believe that NATO enlargement is not yet complete. We must make sure that no European democracy is excluded from the European mainstream. We call on all NATO Allies to recognize the achievements of Albania, Croatia and Macedonia at the upcoming Summit in Istanbul. We, as an Alliance, must also support the democratic progress in the Southern Caucasus and Central Asian Countries, and should continue to work with them and Ukraine. I want to thank all of the NATO allies, including the new members, for helping us to make our ambitions and expectations a reality. From now on, we will face the new challenges and our new duties together - alongside other NATO members. We have come to the Alliance to receive and to contribute. I applaud NATO's decision to provide air defense capabilities and equal protection to the entire territory of the enlarged Alliance. That's the way it should be. As the Secretary General said: there are no second or third-rate Allies, there are just Allies. Rock - solid security guarantees are what my country needs, because they form the foundation of our future development. But we are here not to only receive, but also to contribute. First of all, we contribute to the stability, democracy and development of a larger NATO through our commitment and reforms. Our military reform, designed to build more mobile, rapidly deployable and better-equipped defense forces, is on track. Our political commitment also remains strong. On the 17th of March, Lithuanian political parties agreed to extend a defense agreement, which commits the allocation of at least 2 per cent of GDP to national defense expenditures through 2008. This agreement, reached in an election year, clearly reflects Lithuania's determination to be an active contributor to transatlantic security. Our membership in NATO was achieved by consensus among the major political parties, the continuity of policies in all consecutive Lithuanian governments and strong public support. We believe that the Vilnius spirit and rationale behind it - solidarity instead of competition - should be maintained and further strengthened by current and future aspirants. On a global scale, Lithuania will sustain and expand our efforts to combat new threats. The terrorist attack in Madrid was a stark reminder of this asymmetric threat, which we must address with strong determination and a more consolidated approach. Dear colleagues, Lithuania has joined a community of nations that protects and, if needed, defends common values. I am confident that all seven new countries will bring added value to NATO. It is a privilege to be among you and I look forward to working with you for the future of generations to come. Thank you.