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Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to this meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

Since its inception two-and-a-half years ago, the EAPC has steadily grown in importance. Consultations have become more intensive, the cooperative agenda has broadened.

Over the course of this year, however, this forum has made a quantum leap forward. In the Kosovo crisis, the EAPC demonstrated its value beyond any doubt. The support our Partners gave to NATO's policy was overwhelming. It demonstrated that a common security culture is emerging -- a culture of commitment to the cause of peace and human dignity.

This culture of commitment is not only confined to statements. It is also visible where it counts most -- on the ground, in Bosnia and Kosovo. There, soldiers of Allies and Partner nations stand side-by-side in creating a secure environment for long-term peace and reconstruction. Without the cooperative ties that exist between NATO and its Partners, we could never have made the progress that we have.

Today's meeting will build on this success. We will review our cooperation mechanisms in light of the Kosovo crisis. We will discuss the lessons learned from this crisis, but we will also focus on the future development of our cooperation. In this context, we will receive several reports on different aspects of our cooperation efforts, for example on the more operational Partnership for Peace and on the development of NATO's South East Europe Initiative. And we will endorse an extensive EAPC Action Plan covering the next two years.

This busy agenda highlights the increasing operational dimension of the EAPC and the Partnership for Peace -- a dimension that will be underlined further by the presence of Dr. Bernard Kouchner, Special Representative of the UN's Secretary General. He will brief us on UNMIK activities in Kosovo.

Foreign Minister Kukan of Slovakia, as President d'Honneur of the EAPC, will open the formal discussion. In view of his role as the UN Special Envoy for the Balkans, this is all the more fitting.

1999 was a remarkable year for our partnership and cooperation efforts. It demonstrated the emergence of a security culture that never existed before on this continent. And it demonstrated that the EAPC is a key element of European security cooperation. Today's meeting will be another step on the way towards a Europe of the 21st century, where cooperation and partnership will be the hallmark.