Opening remarks

by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the NATO-Russia Council Seminar “Modern risks and security threats: the role of the NRC”

Chairman Mironov, Dr. Verbitskaya, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me say, first of all, how pleased I am to be able to address such a distinguished audience.  And let me follow that right away by expressing my sincere thanks, and those of the NATO-Russia Council, to the Russian authorities and the St. Petersburg State University for welcoming us here today.

I am standing before you as the Chairman of the NATO-Russia Council – a body that includes the Russian Federation and all 26 NATO member nations.  We are in Russia this week to celebrate ten years of NATO-Russia partnership.  To look back on everything that we have achieved and, more importantly, to explore possibilities for enhancing our cooperation in the future.  And today’s seminar provides an excellent opportunity for that kind of reflection.

I am conscious that there are still some people, not least here in this country, who question the very idea of a NATO-Russian partnership.  And to those people I would say the following. 

NATO-Russia cooperation is not just about overcoming the legacy of the past; it is first and foremost about building a more secure future: one that is in NATO’s interest but also in Russia’s interest.  Russia is an obvious – and I would even say natural – partner for us. 

Why?  Because Russia is a major world power – in political, economic and also military terms, with considerable influence, and considerable responsibilities.  Russia’s active role is simply indispensable in addressing today’s international security challenges.  But so is NATO’s engagement.  And it is therefore entirely logical, and indeed desirable, that we should seek to meet the common challenges before us through cooperation, rather than through confrontation.

On the whole, I believe the balance sheet of our cooperation is much more positive than most people imagine.  Over the past ten years, and in particular in the five since we established the NATO-Russia Council, we have achieved much together  We have significantly deepened our political dialogue, and broadened it to a variety of formats above and below our monthly Ambassadorial meetings.  Indeed, I would go so far as to say that NATO has more organised interaction with Russia than with any other of our 30 or so partner countries. 

We have also developed our practical cooperation – on military matters and in several other areas.  And through our cooperation we have helped to make our continent more stable and more secure.

For seven years, despite occasional political differences, Russia remained the largest non-NATO troop contributor to Alliance-led operations, and we shared the burden of bringing peace and stability to the Balkans. 

Together, we took a region torn by civil war and ethnic conflict, and set it on the path to democratic development and integration into the European family of nations.  Today, Kosovo is the last remaining step that we have to get right, because the status quo is simply unacceptable.

In the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, Russia and the member states of NATO decided to launch a qualitatively new relationship. 

The NATO-Russia Council, established in May 2002, corresponded to the desires of all NATO nations, and of Russia, to establish a genuine partnership.  This partnership, the NATO-Russia Council, sought to replace the suspicions and mistrust of the past with a desire to confront together the common challenges of the future – a new, lethal breed of terrorism, the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and failing states threatening stability in their own regions and beyond.  And indeed, the NATO-Russia Council has brought some significant, concrete, results.

We have made significant strides in strengthening the interoperability of our forces and our ability to confront terrorism and natural disasters.  We have launched ambitious new programmes of technical cooperation on theatre missile defence and airspace management. And we have seen Russian military servicemen again serving alongside their NATO counterparts, this time in anti-terrorist naval patrols in the Mediterranean Sea.

We have also embarked upon new forms of cooperation, such as an innovative joint training programme to build counter-narcotics capabilities in Afghanistan and Central Asia.  And just last month the State Duma and Federation Council in Moscow ratified the Partnership for Peace Status of Forces Agreement, which was subsequently signed by President Putin.  This is an important step that will make possible even closer practical cooperation. 

It is another indication of a fundamental truth: NATO-Russia relations are a real two-way street, where both Russia and NATO benefit.

But our primary purpose here today is not to look back and reflect on what we have already achieved, but rather to look ahead and identify what remains to be done.  We have a common obligation to realise the full potential of our cooperation. 

Because one thing is certain – the next decade will be no less challenging than the last one, and NATO-Russia cooperation will be vital to the International Community’s ability to meet new challenges, and to defeat them.

We all – Russia and the member states of NATO – share a core strategic interest in supporting the International Community’s effort to build long-term stability in and around Afghanistan. 

And so I am hopeful that tomorrow’s meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Moscow with Foreign Minister Lavrov will be an occasion for strengthening our cooperation in this area.  We will also take a number of concrete decisions aimed at strengthening our practical defence and military cooperation, as well as our political dialogue.  And we will discuss the prospects for the future of our essential strategic partnership.

If we take a closer look at the nature of the NATO-Russia strategic partnership, I believe that we can identify three categories of issues that make up our agenda. 

First, there are issues on which we have already agreed we should cooperate, but where we can do a lot better.  For example, I strongly believe we can do much more to make our forces interoperable for peace support missions, building on our successful cooperation in the Balkans. 

We should build on our operational cooperation in the framework of NATO’s anti-terrorist maritime operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR to work together more closely in the common fight against terrorism.  We could do more to support each other in disasters and emergency situations – an area where we have already held a number of successful joint exercises.  And we have a shared need to consult more on new and emerging challenges, where we can take inspiration from our success in addressing the threats posed by the Afghan narcotics trade.

Then there is a second category of issues.  These are issues that from time to time provoke controversy and disagreement between us, but where, if we take a closer look, we realise that our long-term interests actually converge.  For example, if we look beneath our debate over missile defence, we will find a shared interest in confronting the challenges posed by the proliferation of missile technology.  And so we should discuss how we see the threat, and what we should do about it, including through the NATO-Russia Council. We cannot simply agree to disagree and simply say that is it.

Also, beneath our differences over the CFE Treaty, we have a shared interest in maintaining military transparency and predictability throughout the Euro-Atlantic area.  The Treaty is a cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security and NATO remains committed to a constructive approach to conventional arms control.  So let’s discuss Russia’s concerns, but also NATO’s concerns, about the Treaty, at the OSCE in Vienna, as well as in the NATO-Russia Council.  Energy security is another subject I would place into this category of issues that appear, initially, to divide us.  But, again, it does not have to be that way.

I am convinced that if we engage in candid and open dialogue, acknowledging our differences but avoiding stereotypes or caricatures, then we can find common ground on all these issues.  If we realise that cooperation and dialogue is the normal state of affairs rather than a "concession" of one side to the other, even seemingly insurmountable obstacles can be overcome.

Finally, there are those issues on which we are unlikely to find agreement for some time.  Regrettably, NATO enlargement would appear to belong in this category.  Many here in Russia have viewed it as an encroachment on their country’s geopolitical interests.  But for NATO Allies, enlargement has always been about something very different.

Like Russia, Allies believe that a Europe whole and free must be based on the principle of each nation being able to freely choose its security alignments.  And NATO also believes that every country, including Russia, stands to benefit from a Europe that is whole, free and at peace – with more democracy, more stability, more security, more rule of law and more democratic control of the armed forces. 

For the past ten years, the process of NATO enlargement has proceeded in a very transparent way – both politically and militarily.  The NATO Allies remain open to discussing the process with Russia, including in the NATO-Russia Council.  And no matter how many members NATO may have, the Alliance will continue to fully honour our commitments to Russia, and to view Russia as a strategic partner.  I think the word “engagement” is, and should be, the key word for NATO and Russia.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

NATO and Russia have already achieved much together in their first decade of partnership.  It is clear that I will not be Secretary General when the time comes to celebrate the second decade of our partnership, but I am absolutely certain that in another 10 years time, the NATO-Russia Council will still be going strong.  Because NATO member nations and Russia will increasingly realise that they are natural partners, and that it is in all our interests to address the 21st century security challenges together. 

I have no doubt that the distinguished experts gathered here today will have their own views on how, together, Russia and the members of the North Atlantic Alliance, in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council, can respond more effectively to the common challenges they face.  And so I look forward to a most interesting, and most productive, meeting.

Thank you.