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WESTERN BALKANS AND THE EASTERN EUROPE
It is not too bold to state that some of the most important decisions to be taken at the Summit will evolve around the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. We will be proud to open in Bucharest a new door to NATO. We are now at a turning point for the Western Balkans. Time has come for Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to join Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey in NATO’s South-Eastern quadrant. Time has also come to put into practice the new sense of neighborliness and the new understanding of common chances and challenges. This is why the Allies need to take a consensual decision based on the individual accomplishments of each candidate, as well as on the changing regional context. We strongly believe that there is a need for a comprehensive new round of enlargement with all three candidates. We hope that their performances and the internal political evolutions will be convincing and decisive, so that the Alliance is able to extend an official invitation, in Bucharest, to join NATO.
Enlargement only is not enough to strengthen our ties and contribute to enhancing security, supporting reforms and finding answers to the new threats that challenge us and our partners. We also look for the first meeting of the new Partnership for Peace members Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia with the Euro-Atlantic Partnership leaders and we stand by them in their pursuit of an enhanced and upgraded relationship with NATO.
Speaking out of our knowledge of the region, we have to be honest and admit that the Western Balkans issue is a complex one. Irrespective of the reasons for the violence in the past, time has come for the countries in the region to look into the future. Carrying anger towards the past can only lead to the lack of concentration on the present opportunities for a better future.
It is clear that the countries in the Western Balkans cannot have a viable future other than in NATO and the EU. I think now is the right time to contradict the words of Winston Churchill that “the Balkans have the tendency to produce more history than they are able to spend”, through supporting the Balkan countries on their irreversible European and Euro-Atlantic track.
The discussions on NATO’s contribution to promoting security and stability in the region, especially its presence in Kosovo, are of key importance for both Allies and partners. Romania is decided to be an active part in the common efforts based on the Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council. However, NATO’s measures and policies in Kosovo must not be interpreted as the recognition of the independence of the province declared unilaterally by Pristina. As direct neighbor and a NATO and EU member, Romania is aware of Serbia’s pivotal role in consolidating the regional stability. We need to find solutions to avoid any type of isolation. It is of paramount importance to avoid creating new dividing lines in the region.
We will also welcome Georgia and Ukraine in Bucharest. Both countries are seeking to enter the Membership Action Plan. There is no doubt about the public support shown by the Georgians in the referendum held earlier this year. Georgia has made great progress in its reforms and democratic process. Inviting Georgia to MAP in Bucharest would send a strong message to all Georgians that their future lies in a secure environment, where values and democracy are protected.
Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration goals need both its people’s and NATO’s support. Given the political and public will, the necessary reforms and progress in democratization, there should be no obstacle in inviting Ukraine to the Membership Action Plan.
In Bucharest, we will also look forward for the NATO-Russia Council, which will be a great opportunity to continue our dialogue at the onset of the second decade of the NATO-Russia partnership. This is a complex one, and in spite any difficulties which are bound to arise in any working dialogue between partners, this partnership remains a strategic element of the Euro-Atlantic security. We are interested in working closely with Russia in stabilizing Afghanistan, in safeguarding the arms control regimes in Europe, in finding answers to common challenges and in protecting common values.
It is of key importance for NATO to further develop its cooperation with the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as with its partners in Central Asia, in support of the regional and Euro-Atlantic security.
