MEETING OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
COUNCIL
IN FOREIGN MINISTERIAL
SESSION
TUESDAY, 2 DECEMBER
2008
OPENING STATEMENT BY THE
SECRETARY GENERAL
Mesdames et Messieurs les Ministres,
Excellences,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Soyez les bienvenus à cette réunion du Conseil de lâAtlantique Nord
en session des ministres des Affaires étrangères.
Jâaimerais souhaiter la bienvenue en particulier à Samuel Žbogar
(Slovénie), qui assiste pour la première fois à une réunion des ministres des
Affaires étrangères de lâOTAN. Et permettez-moi également de présenter
MM. Basha et JandroviÄ, respectivement ministres des Affaires étrangères de
lâAlbanie et de la Croatie, qui représenteront aujourdâhui et demain pour la
première fois les deux pays invités de lâAlliance à une réunion avec les
ministres des Affaires étrangères des pays alliés.
Nous nous réunissons aujourdâhui dans un climat dâincertitude. La
crise financière, les violentes attaques terroristes commises la semaine
dernière à Mumbai â qui ont coûté la vie à de nombreux Indiens mais aussi Ã
plusieurs de nos compatriotes -, et la piraterie au large des côtes somaliennes,
qui menace nos principales voies maritimes, sont autant dâéléments qui nous
rappellent que la sécurité sous toutes ses formes reste, pour nos pays, un bien
précieux.
à lâapproche de son soixantième anniversaire, quâelle célébrera au
printemps prochain, lâAlliance demeure la principale enceinte pour les
consultations en matière de sécurité entre lâEurope et lâAmérique du Nord et le
cadre transatlantique dâune défense collective forte de nos populations et de
notre territoire.
En même temps, lâOTAN doit continuer de sâadapter à lâenvironnement
de sécurité instable du XXIe siècle.
Et aujourdâhui, nous nous apprêtons à franchir une nouvelle étape
importante de ce processus.
Tout dâabord, nous examinerons comment donner suite à nos relations
avec la Géorgie et lâUkraine. Ces deux pays ont fait part de leur intention de
rejoindre lâAlliance et, au sommet de Bucarest, en avril dernier, les chefs
dâÃtat et de gouvernement des pays alliés ont décidé quâils deviendraient
membres de lâOTAN.
Membership in NATO, however,
entails not only privileges, but also serious obligations. In particular,
aspirants must demonstrate a strong commitment to political and military reform.
That is why, today, Foreign Ministers will make a first assessment of progress
which Georgia and
Ukraine have made.
Tomorrow we will meet with
both countries to discuss with them the result of our discussions today.
The NATO-Georgia Commission
will meet for the first time in Foreign Ministers format, and this will also
provide us with an opportunity to exchange views with Foreign Minister
Tkeshelashvili about the evolving security situation in the region, and other
issues of mutual interest.
As in the past, the
NATO-Ukraine Commission will also meet at Foreign Ministersâ level.
We will exchange views with
Foreign Minister Ogryzko on developments in
Ukraine and the progress made in the framework of
the existing NATO-Ukraine cooperation.
A second major item for
discussion among NATO Ministers will be our relations with
Russia. After the Caucasus conflict, we decided that there could be no
business as usual with Russia, and that we had to seriously review our
relationship. Today, we will continue this review and will discuss the
parameters for our engagement with Russia.
Our aim has never changed:
to build a Europe whole, free and at peace â a
Europe in which
Russia should play her full part as a responsible
major player.
Third we will discuss the
way ahead on operations. In todayâs world our security can only be ensured
through a policy of active engagement. Accordingly, NATO is involved in
demanding operations and missions on several continents. In our meetings, we
will look at the situation in Afghanistan and review our progress in implementing our
Comprehensive Strategic Political-Military Plan.
We will also look at
developments in Kosovo and their implications for NATO's longer-term engagement
in the Western Balkans. And we will discuss the growing challenge of piracy, and
NATOâs contribution to the international effort to fight this
scourge.
Last but certainly not
least, we just concluded our Working Lunch with the Foreign Ministers of our
Mediterranean Dialogue partners. This Dialogue between NATO nations and partners
from Northern
Africa and the
Middle
East has become a
true success story.
Our security is closely
interrelated with the security of our neighbours on the Southern shores of the
Mediterranean, and todayâs meeting once again underlined
this interdependence.
Colleagues
Excellencies
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
Our agenda for today and
tomorrow is ambitious, to put it mildly. But it is an agenda that reflects the
reality of transatlantic cooperation within NATO:
North
America and
Europe form a unique community of nations â a
community that has proven time and again that it can act and should act as an
agent of positive change. It is a message that we must reinforce as we look
forward to our 60th Anniversary Summit in
Strasbourg and Kehl in April of next year. A strong and
cohesive Alliance remains indispensable to safeguard our
security in an uncertain world.
Thank you for your
attention. This concludes the Opening Session.