17 Oct. 2002

Debating the impact of NATO enlargement The security implications of NATO inviting the Baltic states to join the Alliance were debated at a seminar in Pskov, Russian Federation, from 17 to 18 October 2002. The seminar presented an opportunity for senior officials from the Russian Federation, NATO, Baltic and Scandinavian states to discuss the regional and global implications of NATO enlarging to more countries from Central and Eastern Europe. NATO will invite one or more aspirant countries to join the Alliance at the Prague Summit on 21 and 22 November. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are among the candidate countries. “The debate was spirited but friendly,” said Rolf Welberts, Director of NATO’s Information Office in Moscow. “Despite disagreement among some participants on whether further enlargement enhances security in Europe and the security of the acceding states, the consensus was that it is for each country itself to decide in what organisational context it wishes to contribute to European security”. The event was organised by the Russian Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee and the NGO Vozrozhdenie Centre of Social Projects, with financial support from NATO. Additional information: NATO's Prague Summit online NATO-Russia Cooperation