Speech by NATO Secretary General, Jaap
de Hoop Scheffer at Tbilisi State
University
Tbilisi, Georgia
4 October 2007
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
The last time I was in Georgia was in 2004, during my first year in
office as NATO’s Secretary General, and I am delighted to be back and let me add
that in 2003 I was also in the same room as Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE so it
feels a bit like homecoming. I also
feel very honoured with the opportunity to speak at the oldest university in the
entire Caucasus region.
And I wish to thank Rector Georgi Khubua most sincerely for his kind
words of introduction.
Georgia and NATO have both seen enormous change these last few
years. NATO, for its part, has made
great strides in adapting its policies, structures and capabilities to a new
security environment that is marked by terrorism, the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction and other complex challenges. There is a strong consensus in the
Alliance today that these challenges require
active engagement. And we have
already shown our preparedness, and our ability, to tackle these challenges
head-on – even if that may mean sending our forces on dangerous missions far
away from our traditional European borders.
As I speak, well over 50,000 troops are deployed under NATO’s operational
command on three different continents.
More than 40,000 brave men and women serve in
Afghanistan, where NATO leads a most challenging
mission that includes peacekeeping tasks as well as combat operations. But we are also keeping the peace in
Kosovo. NATO ships are patrolling
the Mediterranean
Sea in an
anti-terrorist mission. We are
assisting the African Union with transport and logistics support for its
operation in Darfur. NATO
is training Iraqi and Afghan security forces. And NATO have been involved in major
disaster response and humanitarian relief operations, especially after the
devastating earthquake that struck Pakistan two years
ago.
In all these different missions and operations, the
Alliance is a team player, working closely with
the rest of the international community – and that is another key characteristic
of NATO today. All 26 Allies
realise that – whether in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Darfur or elsewhere – other, civilian actors must be
involved together with us, because there can be no security without development,
and no development without security.
As a consequence of this we see that more and more countries – from
Australia to
New
Zealand, and from
Japan to the
Republic of Korea – are interested in cooperating with the
Alliance, as are regional organisations like the
African Union. And we are keen to
engage with these countries and institutions in a common effort to deal with
today’s security challenges.
However, as the Alliance tackles challenges as
Afghanistan, far away from our traditional area of
operations, we certainly do not forget that there is unfinished business in
Europe. The
Alliance has long aspired to the creation of a
Europe that is whole and free, united in peace, democracy
and common values. Both NATO and
the European Union have played a major role in fulfilling this aspiration. But it is not a reality just yet. There is still work to do. And NATO is
very much committed to continue playing its part.
First of all in the Balkans.
NATO has been instrumental in bringing peace and stability to this
region, but more must be done to fully integrate the countries from this region
into the European mainstream. And
so we will continue to help Kosovo get on its feet once its status has been
decided, and we will intensify our dialogue and cooperation with the countries
in the region, including our most recent Partners Bosnia and
Herzegovina,
Montenegro and
Serbia.
But NATO also wants to play a role in helping to stabilise and integrate
the wider Europe. Over
the past 15 years, through partnership and cooperation, NATO has helped
countries all across the continent to modernise their military establishments
and meet other difficult reform challenges. We have also helped to create a true
Euro-Atlantic security culture – a strong disposition to work together in
tackling common security challenges.
And we see this in the valuable contributions which many of our Partners,
including Georgia, are making to our operations. And so we want to continue this policy
of Partnership to tailor it even better to the needs and requirements of our
Partners – to help them to integrate with the rest of Europe -- and to further
engage them in meeting today’s security challenges.
Several of our Partners have indicated that they wish not only to
cooperate with NATO, but to become a member of the
Alliance.
The door to NATO membership is open today, and it will remain open in the
future – but it is not an automatic door.
Aspirants must meet rigorous standards before they are admitted. We have been working hard, for several
years, with Albania,
Croatia and the
former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia in the context of our
Membership Action Plan, to help them to meet those rigorous standards. NATO Heads of State and Government have
made clear that they intend at their meeting in
Bucharest next spring to extend further invitations
to those countries who meet NATO’s performance-based standards, and are able to
contribute to Euro-Atlantic security and stability. And let me stress once again that there
is no automaticity in this process.
But let me also stress two other things. First, that the enlargement of NATO’s
membership is not directed against any country. And second, that no country which is not
a member of NATO has a veto or “droit de regard” over NATO enlargement
decisions. The process of NATO enlargement will continue, with due caution but
also with a clear purpose. Over the
past fifteen years, the Alliance has used the interest of countries in
joining NATO to promote democratic and security sector reforms, and to hold
aspirant countries to the highest standards. This has already helped to make our
continent much more stable and secure.
And that will remain our key objective.
There is one more element of the broader context of European security
that I should like to mention, and that is the Treaty on Conventional Forces in
Europe, the CFE Treaty. Russia has announced a suspension of the
CFE Treaty, and the NATO Allies regret that announcement. We have a shared interest in maintaining
military transparency and predictability throughout the Euro-Atlantic area, and
the CFE Treaty is critical in that regard.
There were frank and constructive discussions in
Berlin earlier this week and there are discussions in
Vienna, to address not just
Russia’s concerns about the Treaty, but also
those of NATO countries and other nations, and I very much hope that
constructive spirit will prevail.
Finding solutions to the conflicts here in this country and the wider
Caucasus region is vital for the security of the entire
Euro-Atlantic region. NATO has repeatedly expressed its support for the
independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Georgia and its other Partner countries in the
Caucasus. But the mandate and expertise to try and resolve
the conflicts in this region rest with the OSCE and the UN, not with NATO. And the
Alliance does not seek stronger involvement. The Georgian Government has made a
number of concrete proposals to build confidence. It has also committed itself repeatedly
to peaceful, negotiated solutions, including in documents which it has signed
with NATO. The NATO Allies, and I
myself, are of the view that the Georgian Government must stick to this
commitment – and that the other parties concerned should also negotiate in good
faith and work towards a peaceful resolution of these conflicts. There are no
alternatives.
And I am confident that the Georgian Government will stick to its
commitment because it has, over the past few years, shown a growing seriousness
in tackling difficult domestic issues, and conducting a constructive foreign
policy. We appreciate the restraint
and responsibility that Georgia has shown in its relations with
Russia, and its determination to find
constructive solutions. And we
welcome Georgia’s strong contribution to peacekeeping
operations further a field, including in Kosovo, where
Georgia has close to 200 troops working with our
German and Turkish Allies, as well as in
Afghanistan, where
Georgia is now also preparing to help out in the
vital area of training the Afghan National Army. All of this shows that
Georgia understands the logic of what I call
cooperation in security. It shows
that Georgia wants to be a provider of security,
rather than a mere consumer. And
that it is a reliable Partner for the Alliance.
Relations between NATO and Georgia have intensified steadily over the
past few years. We now engage in
substantive and frank political dialogue on a regular basis, at all levels, and
on a wide array of issues of common interest. Before the summer,
Georgia’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence
and European and Euro-Atlantic integration paid a highly successful joint visit
to NATO HQ in Brussels.
And I am confident that my discussions with President Saakashvili and
other senior Georgian politicians later today will again underline the maturity
of the NATO-Georgia relationship.
Georgia was the first Partner country with which
NATO adopted an Individual Partnership Action Plan – or IPAP -- back in 2004,
and we have made good progress in elaborating an updated Action Plan and making
it public. IPAP remains the main
practical tool for our cooperation. It lays out a programme of quite
specific reforms to be undertaken by the Georgian Government, and where NATO is
offering its advice and assistance.
And many individual Allies are of course engaged in practical cooperation
bilaterally as well.
At the political level, through our Intensified Dialogue, we
discuss Georgia’s aspirations for further Euro-Atlantic
integration. I want to stress that
there is no timeline for our Intensified Dialogue. More than ever before, NATO is a
performance-based organisation, which is making very serious demands of its
members. And further progress in
our relationship will depend on Georgia being able to demonstrate that it is
capable of meeting those commitments.
The Georgian Government has successfully implemented reforms in many
areas these last few years, and there are many achievements to be proud of. There is a very clear reform drive, and
good coordination of reforms between the different branches of Government. Economic liberalisation has made
possible impressive GDP growth and a substantial rise in foreign direct
investment, not just in energy infrastructure but increasingly in tourism,
transport and other sectors as well.
There has also been distinct progress in elaborating and implementing an
anti-corruption strategy. And we
have been pleased to work with Georgia on its Strategic Defence Review, and to
see that its Ministry of Defence and armed forces have introduced longer-term
planning and budgeting.
Contrary to what people may think, modernisation of the defence and
security sector is not all that NATO is interested in. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite
is true. NATO
supports Georgia's
sovereign right to spend what it chooses on defence, and to organise its
military forces as it thinks best. However, the
Alliance
will continue to look carefully at how the defence process is conducted, in
order to ensure that money is spent rationally, according to agreed plans, and
balanced against other priorities like poverty reduction and education. When assessing progress in
Georgia,
NATO has looked, and will continue to look, at the whole reform picture, and not
just the military dimension.
One crucial reform priority that is not linked to the military is to
firmly establish the rule of law, which really is the cornerstone of any
democracy.
Georgia has made significant progress in
outlining and beginning the implementation of judicial reform. But there must be continued progress,
especially in ensuring the independence of the judiciary. We also feel that there is a need for
greater transparency on the part of the political establishment – in order to
better explain and debate reforms with the general public, strengthen their
credibility and consolidate the democratic process. This is one more area on which we will
keep a close eye in the run-up to your Parliamentary and Presidential elections
next year, which we all hope will continue the positive trend that we saw in the
local elections last year.
Four years ago, during the “Rose Revolution”, Georgians stood up to
defend their right to choose their own leaders, without manipulation or
intimidation -- the right to speak their mind without fear of reprisal, and to
plan their own future. These are
the very same values and principles of democracy, individual liberty and the
rule of law that NATO, the North Atlantic Alliance has stood for almost six
decades. And that is why I hope,
and expect, that Georgia will continue to embrace those democratic
principles.
Ladies and
Gentlemen,
NATO and Georgia have come a long way these last few years. Our political dialogue has intensified
and so has our practical cooperation.
With NATO’s encouragement and assistance,
Georgia has set out on a bold reform course, and
demonstrated a strong determination to contribute to security and stability in
its own region and beyond.
I have been forthright in commenting on the state of our relationship --
giving credit where I believe it is due, but also making a few critical remarks
where I think they are in order. I
have no doubt that my remarks will be considered in the same positive spirit in
which I have made them. Because our
relationship has matured – and I am convinced that it will continue to
deepen.
Thank you.