Opening
Statement
by
NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson
at the Meeting of the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council
at the Level of Foreign Ministers
Good afternoon and welcome to what will be yet another historic
event in the dynamic evolution of the NATO-Russia partnership.
First of all, I would like to express my deepest condolences
to the victims of recent terrorist attacks, in particular the
Russian victims of the recent bomb attack in Dagestan.
The initiative taken by PJC Foreign Ministers on 7 December
2001 has borne rich fruit. You have before you the documents
- the Reykjavik package - that will break new ground in our
relationship. The creation of the NATO-Russia Council "at
20" demonstrates our resolve to work together more closely
than ever before and gives us a structure where we can do so
in genuine partnership.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of this recognition
that we must stand together in defending our common values and
interests in the face of the challenges of a new century. We
have the will and the mechanisms to build a cooperative, lasting
and inclusive peace throughout Europe.
At the end of today's meeting, you will be invited to submit
the package to Allied Heads of State and Government and President
Putin for adoption and signature at the Summit in Rome on 28
May.
The positive spirit in which these three documents were negotiated
by Deputy Foreign Minister Gusarov and the Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs, Ambassador Altenburg, bodes well
for our future joint endeavours in the NATO-Russia Council.
I would like to thank them on your behalf for their hard work
and imagination.
This new Council will, to quote from the draft declaration,
"operate on the principle of consensus". That
is one of its most essential features. That is what distinguishes
it most prominently from the PJC whose "19+1" format
was perceived by some as an obstacle to forging consensus.
However, all the fine mechanisms, rules of procedure and forward-looking
areas of cooperation we have provided for the NATO-Russia Council
will come to naught without a true spirit of consensus and compromise
among the twenty equal partners that comprise the body.
So for the NATO-Russia Council to be the success we all desire,
we have to continue to build new mindsets and greater trust.
This Alliance is living proof of a continuing process of confidence-building
- from the bottom-up, with all parties striving for consensus
at every level at which they engage.
Allies stand ready, Igor, to engage in the same fashion with
Russia. And jointly, step by step, we will fulfil the high expectations
we have created - with good will and with patience on all sides.
Today, we bid farewell to the PJC. I always felt that it deserved
better than its reputation in some quarters. Without it we would
not be where we are today. Under its umbrella, we have worked
on all nineteen topics for cooperation and consultation listed
in the Founding Act, with particular success in recent months
in producing a closer convergence of views on the Balkans and
in cooperating against terrorism.
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