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Dear Maris,
Dear Urmas,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First if all, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for inviting me to this year’s edition of the Riga Conference - It is a great pleasure for me to be here and discuss with you the issues on our agenda.
Allow me a few introductory remarks on this morning’s complex topic.
I want to focus on 3 "R's": Reassurance, Resources and, of course, Russia.
Let me start with "Reassurance". Coming from a small country myself, my understanding is that reassurance is based on solidarity as well as trust. Mutual solidarity and trust are at the heart of successful examples of cooperation between states. This is why these ideals are core principles enshrined in the founding documents of both the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
NATO’s Article 5 is the embodiment of solidarity between all members of the Alliance. In my opinion, this "internal" aspect of Article 5 is at least as important as the "message" that Article 5 sends to countries that are "outside" the Alliance.
The new strategic concept that NATO is working on at the moment should reiterate this, and reaffirm the importance of Article 5. The indivisibility of security in the North Atlantic area is the clearest affirmation of solidarity between all members, whatever their size. It is a cornerstone of the Washington Treaty that needs to be reaffirmed.
The Alliance must represent a credible deterrence to any actor who would threaten us. Although I recognise that nuclear deterrence plays a part in this as well, I want to underline that it is essential to reduce the world’s nuclear arsenals and continue to work towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, in the spirit of President Obama’s Prague speech.
But solidarity is first and foremost down to political will rather than to how much hardware you station in a given area. That is why I think that, in today’s extremely complex security environment, it is impossible to rely solely on hardware to tackle security threats.
Solidarity is also about joint projects and achievements. The European integration project, in particular, has us all working together and achieves tangible goals that are not only economic in nature but also cultural and political. This growing solidarity amongst EU members is crucial to provide reassurance to all, and especially the smaller Member States, who are most in need of reassurance and solidarity. We therefore need the Lisbon reforms to be a success so that we can face the challenges before us.
Speaking of challenges, the war in Georgia in 2008 was a stark reminder that armed conflict can still happen in the Euro-Atlantic area. Nonetheless, I think it is essential that the Georgia debate does not pollute discussions on Article 5. As the report of Ambassador Tagliavini confirmed, it was the reckless behaviour of all parties involved that led to the escalation of the situation. To those who argue that, had Georgia been a NATO member, the conflict would not have escalated, I reply: Georgia in NATO would have been the end of Article 5 as we know it, because Allies would not have been able to agree on what actions they would have deemed necessary to help the Georgians, to paraphrase Article 5, because there were doubts over who started the armed attack.
The second of my 3 "R's" are Resources. In times of economic crisis, this is a major challenge. Confidence in our financial systems has been shaken, and resources are scarce. Priorities have to be set and choices made in order to find sustainable solutions. In such times, solidarity and trust are more important than ever in order to strengthen the social fabric, and thus enhance stability and, ultimately, security..
The issue of energy security has risen to the top of the agenda in recent years. The complexity of the issue is overwhelming: a broad spectre of fields is concerned, including economics, security, the environment etc. Many international organisations and fora have a role to play in this domain, and I personally think that it is important that all actors involved play with open cards.
Last, but not least, Russia. Let me state from the outset that we are sensitive to the concerns and historical experiences of those who suffered at the hand of big, strong neighbours. We too suffered at the hands of our neighbours, and our historical experiences are lessons that we shall not forget. But our assessment of our current situation should not be clouded by fears arising from the past. It should instead rely on forward-looking analysis of the present.
From the experience of Luxembourg, we have come to the conclusion that security is best assured by working with the large neighbour rather than against him. I therefore strongly believe that cooperation is the only way forward.
Cooperation with Russia is important, no matter at what level. Even though we don’t always agree on all subjects discussed in fora such as the NATO-Russia Council, the mere existence of such fora is proof that we have common interests, notably in the security sector. We should work together where we can, and discuss all issues, especially those where we tend to disagree.
Thank you for your attention.
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