Opening statement

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Good afternoon. Dobriy Dyen'. Bonjour. Welcome to the first-ever meeting of the enlarged NATO-Russia Council "at 27". I know colleagues will join me in welcoming the representatives of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia to the NRC family. By joining the Alliance, these states also have joined a unique partnership launched almost two years ago by Russia and the member states of NATO.

The NATO-Russia Council is unique because it brings together all of the - now 27 - states represented around this table as equal partners to deal with shared challenges. It is a recognition that in a world threatened by terrorism, by proliferation, by failed states, we owe it to our citizens to set aside the disputes of the past and concentrate on building a Europe whole, free and secure. The states seated around this table for the first time are telling the world that they have assumed all of the rights and obligations inherent to this partnership. And our meeting here today is a visible signal that the same cooperative spirit that has guided our work "at 20" will prevail "at 27".

The NRC has developed an impressive range of practical NATO-Russia co-operation in fields as diverse as theatre missile defence, terrorist threat assessment and civil emergency planning. It has re-energised military co-operation between NATO and Russia, which I hope will receive another boost in the coming months with Russia's signature of the Partnership for Peace Status of Forces Agreement.

But another essential pillar of this Council's work has been a frank and constructive political dialogue - on issues where we agree, and on those where we still seek common ground. We have consulted on key questions, such as the situation in the Balkans and Afghanistan, and future developments in the broad geographic region sometimes known as the "Greater Middle East".

In this spirit, another new member of our NRC family, Minister Sergey Lavrov, has suggested that we use this opportunity to exchange views on the recent upsurge of violence in Kosovo. I welcome this suggestion. Over the past five years, Kosovo has ceased to be a source of tension in the NATO-Russia relationship, and become one of a large and growing number of areas where we work together toward a common goal. Recent events indicate that we all still have work to do. We must remain engaged on the ground in support of the UN mission as it carries out its mandate under UNSCR 1244. Here, both KFOR's successful efforts to quell the latest round of violence and Russia's humanitarian assistance have proven crucial in the re-establishment of relative stability in the province. As I told regional leaders personally last month, however, we must continue to send a clear message to extremists on all sides that violence will not achieve political goals.

In conclusion, let me underscore again that as we launch the enlarged NATO-Russia Council, I am determined, as its Chairman, to do all I can to maintain the same spirit of mutual trust and cooperation we have enjoyed to date. This Council has achieved much since May 2002. But now is not a time to look back, but to look ahead. It is in this spirit that I hope we can use this meeting to chart a course toward a successful meeting of NRC Heads of State and Government at Istanbul this June.