10-12 Mar. 2004

Secretary General visits Baltic States News 10/03/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Latvia 10/03/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Lithuania 10/03/2004 - NATO NATO Secretary General to visit Estonia Opinions 11/03/2004 - NATO Speech by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the Parliament of Latvia, Riga, 11 March 2004 Background NATO enlargement Series on 7 invitees NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer congratulated the governments of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania on their imminent accession to the Alliance, during visits to the three countries, from 10 to 12 March. Mr. de Hoop Scheffer began the round of visits in Riga, the capital of Latvia, where he met Prime Minister Indulis Emsis, Speaker of the Saeima Ingrida Udre and other members of parliament, as well as Foreign Minister Rihards Piks and Defence Minister Atis Slakteris. Rights and obligations The Secretary General congratulated Latvia on its accession to NATO, but said that membership brings not only rights, but also obligations. All Allies must be ready to contribute to NATO’s transformation agenda, and new missions, such as in Afghanistan, he told reporters. The Secretary General emphasized however, that collective defence remained NATO’s core task, and that the new member states would enjoy the same guarantees as the current member states. “As we consider new missions, we won’t abandon our traditional tasks. Collective defence has always been, and will remain, a core function of NATO. The commitment to defend each other is the strongest commitment sovereign nations can give to one another,” he said in an address to the Latvian Parliament. Looking to Istanbul Mr. de Hoop Scheffer delivered a similar message in Talinn, Estonia, where he met with President Arnold Ruutel, Prime Minister Juhan Parts, Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland and Defence Minister Margus Hanson. In his meetings, the Secretary General also discussed key issues on NATO’s agenda in the run up to the upcoming Summit meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government in Istanbul this June. These included strengthening NATO’s partnerships with non-member States, including Russia, and the Mediterranean region. The Secretary General concluded his visit in Vilnus, where he met for similar talks with President Rolandas Paksas, Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, Chairman of the Seimas Arturas Paulauskas and other members of parliament, as well as Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis and Defence Minister Linas Linkevicius.