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 RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURS AND OTHER FOREIGN POLICY ASPECTS IN LITHUANIA’S INTEGRATION TO NATO
 
Distinguished members of the commission,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank you for the opportunity you gave me to participate in the work of your commission in discussing the issue of Lithuania’s membership in NATO.

I am pleased to note that this topic constantly remains on the first pages of your commission’s agenda. This clearly speaks for your dedication to one of the most important Lithuanian foreign policy goals of this year – to achieve that Lithuania is invited to become a member of the North Alliance next autumn in Prague.

In your resolution adopted last June in Vilnius, which invited all overseas Lithuanians to gather forces and encourage the governments of their states to support Lithuania’s invitation to NATO in 2002, you compared this action with the fight for Lithuania’s independence. I think this comparison is very apposite because it is precisely the aspiration towards membership in NATO and other Western organisations that has become the crucial challenge to Lithuania upon regaining independence. Furthermore, I think that this year can be seen as the turning point because for the first time in the history of our modern state we are really deciding our destiny and we have a historical chance to integrate into the Western structures. The achievement of this goal will determine whether Lithuania remains in the condition of suspense and transience in terms of security or it finally becomes a full-fledged country, capable of fulfilling the will of its people and choosing its own path.

We are all well aware that we are in the decisive stage of integration to NATO today. Only eight months remain until the Prague summit of NATO. As October 2002 approaches, we reassess our preparedness in various areas again and again and we re-examine the most important factors of this process.

Strategic partnership between Lithuania and the US

As is well known, the strategic partnership between Lithuania and the United States of America is the crucial factor for our success. On the basis of common values, we share the same vision of a united and peaceful Europe, which was mutually affirmed in the US-Baltic States Charter signed back in 1998. This document aimed to create the conditions which would enable Lithuania and other Baltic States to open the doors of NATO. As a result of joint and purposeful work, there is a growing belief in Lithuania that this day is no longer far in the future. The solidarity with the United States, which Lithuania and other candidates showed after September 11 by acting as actual NATO allies, further strengthened this feeling.

During President Adamkus’ visit to the US in January of this year, US President George W. Bush reiterated the willingness to expand NATO. Furthermore, he appraised Lithuania as the frontrunner in this process. This is elating. Favourable pronouncements of the US president and administration officials regarding NATO are not just an expression of the government politics of this country. They are also an appreciation of your and our efforts.

Vilnius 10 process

The Vilnius 10 process, which began two years ago in our capital at the initiative of Lithuania, may be considered to be one of the most distinctive expressions of Euroatlantic resolve and consistency of the candidate countries on the road to NATO. Here I would like to rejoice that the spirit of co-operation of the Vilnius group has lately been increasingly felt among the emigrants in the United States as well. The representatives of the ethnic communities of the Vilnius group states, who assembled on March 6 to express their common will in a joint declaration, supported the future enlargement and encouraged their governments, as well as the governments of other member states, to turn the vision of enlargement into reality in Prague.

We must continue nurturing the spirit of Vilnius through co-operation with the countries of the Vilnius 10 in co-ordinating positions regarding the Membership Action Plan and other issues related to enlargement. At the same time, as the initiator of the Vilnius process, Lithuania has to take the responsibility to think about its subsequent transformation and role in the context of Prague decisions.

I would probably not be wrong if I said that one of the outstanding advantages of Lithuania in realising its security goals is our good relations with neighbours, based on constructive principles of good neighbourhood and equal partnership, as well as our regional politics in general. The Lithuanian foreign policy takes pride in these concepts and this is noticed and acknowledged by the Western partners.

Regional co-operation initiatives of Lithuania and work with our main neighbours have become integral attributes of our policies. This is the baggage that we are bringing along to the new Euroatlantic space through the process of integration. It is not accidental that the next session of the European Council’s Committee of Ministers, which will take place in May in Vilnius, will deal with regional co-operation issues. During the event, the emphasis will be placed on the interrelatedness of pan-European co-operation with various regional organisations in seeking effective democratisation of regions and good neighbourly relations, which constitute an essential precondition for the strengthening of stability and security.

Thus, Lithuania is prepared to make a substantial contribution to the shaping of relations between the Euroatlantic community and its eastern neighbours – Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Moreover, we are bringing examples of neighbourhood that turned into strategic partnerships, such as the co-operation between Lithuania and Poland or between the Baltic and Nordic States, to the Euroatlantic club.

Allow me to say a couple of words on this subject.

Poland

In talking about the strategic partners of Lithuania in the region, we should begin by mentioning Poland. Today we have strong reasons to rejoice at our relations with this neighbour. The co-operation between Lithuania and Poland, which resumed 10 years ago and surprised many in Europe by the level of mutual trust, dynamism and orientation towards the future, attested to the maturity of these two European nations and has long transcended the usual framework of bilateral co-operation. Today, the relations between Lithuania and Poland are part of the dynamic processes of Euroatlantic integration. Active co-operation in the area of security and military matters is an expression of the shared security objectives of both countries.

Being an active member of NATO, Poland consistently supports the process of expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance and Lithuanian aspirations to receive the invitation to membership negotiations during the Prague summit this year. We hold regular consultations with the Poles on Euroatlantic security issues and share the experiences of NATO integration, as well as defence planning and strategies of accession to the Alliance.

There is an abundance of specific examples of bilateral co-operation: the foundation of the mutual military co-operation between the two countries remains the Lithuanian-Polish peacekeeping battalion LITPOLBAT, which is intended for operations within the framework of multinational forces and is prepared to participate in peacekeeping operations under the leadership of NATO, the United Nations or the EU. The countries also co-operate in the area of military training and elsewhere.

The support of the Polish community in the US and in other member states of NATO is a particularly important factor for Lithuania in seeking support for our NATO membership. In this regard, I would like to mention that the support of American Lithuanians and their connections with the Polish community have an essential role. Therefore, I would invite you to continue working in this direction by all possible means to promote the solidarity of American Poles and their support for Lithuania’s aspirations.

Alongside Poland, I would also like to emphasise the importance of other Central European countries – Hungary and the Czech Republic, which are already members of NATO. The accession experiences and the support of these countries are particularly important to us.

Baltic – Nordic countries

In discussing Lithuania’s regional politics during integration to NATO, we must mention co-operation with our Baltic and Nordic neighbours. The military co-operation projects of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and the directed activities of the three states in preparation for membership, based on the principles of solidarity and individual assessment, are well known to everyone. When Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia become members of the Alliance, the said projects will naturally become a regional expansion of the integrated military structure of NATO.

The close co-operation with the Nordic (Scandinavian) countries, which traditionally involved various sectors of the society and economy, also includes the area of security and strategic affairs. Denmark, Iceland and Norway are our most loyal advocates in the Alliance. The consistent aim of the Baltic States to join NATO and the increasing prospect of membership have encouraged fervent discussions regarding the accession to the Alliance in such bastions of neutrality as Finland and Sweden as well. The leaders of these countries do not conceal the fact that changes in their security policies entered into consideration after there were few doubts remaining that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania would be invited to join the organisation in Prague. This phenomenon can be explained by the general spread of realisation that the threats to our security and peace can presently best be answered only through co-ordinated actions and in co-operation with the countries of the region.

Russia

Finally, I would like to share some thoughts on Russia as well. The accelerating rapprochement between NATO and Russia is currently widely discussed. The political reaction of this country and the practical actions taken after September 11 created the preconditions for the rapprochement of the US and NATO with Russia. Currently, there is probably no one in Washington, Moscow or Brussels who knows whether shifts in the relations between NATO and Russia are tactical and short-term or whether they will lead to a long-term partnership. Everything will be determined by the political will. Russia must realise that the development of these relations provides a unique opportunity not only for co-operation in the area of security but also for the essential improvement of its geostrategic situation. NATO must understand that the natural wish to co-operate with Russia must not distort the essence of NATO and the fundamental ways of the Alliance’s existence, functioning and decision-making.

What should our position be with regard to these changes? In search of an answer, we may say that the current processes of the rapprochement between NATO and Russia are useful to Lithuania in the context of the Alliance’s expansion. This rapprochement indicates changes in the thinking of both Russia and NATO. These changes have been perhaps best summarised by Secretary General of NATO Lord Robertson in one of his speeches: “[In the aftermath of terrorist attacks against the United States] Russia came to realise that there are things more important than the obsession with the issue of the NATO membership of the Baltic States.” This phrase shows that the issue of the Baltic States’ membership in NATO is being addressed in a qualitatively new political context – the 19 NATO countries understand that NATO expansion to the Baltic States is not some “special case” and do not hesitate to put this clearly to Russia, which is able to listen to it calmly. In turn, Lithuania cannot conceive of the future of Europe without the active participation of Russia. A democratic Europe that spans from the Baltic to the Black Sea is the vital interest of not only the United States and Russia but also all the countries of this region.

As I have mentioned, Lithuania’s constructive approach and contribution to the dialogue between NATO and Russia is an important reason creating the preconditions for change in the Russian position. Lithuania’s rich experiences of regional co-operation and pragmatic and constructive relations with Russia are bearing fruit: during his visit to Lithuania on March 7, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ivanov reiterated that Russia recognises Lithuania’s right to choose its own security system and to decide on how to maintain relations with European and international organisations.

In our exchanges with Russia, we not only take a pragmatic stance but also constantly demand that the co-operation is mutual and that Russia respects its own obligations (by ratifying the border treaty, signing the re-admission agreement, etc.).

The Kaliningrad issue has become one of the most important items on the current agenda of co-operation between Lithuania and Russia. Following our interest in creating conditions of economic and social development corresponding to the present situation and modelling the prospects of this area in the context of future enlargements, we suggested and continue to suggest to Russia flexible and pragmatic solutions in the important areas of the transit of goods, co-operation between ports, energy systems, human transit, etc. It is heartening that, as a result of Lithuania’s efforts, discussions of the Kaliningrad issue are more frequent in various European and regional forums. The best and newest examples of these positive tendencies are the meeting of the Baltic Sea Council’s ministers of foreign affairs in Kaliningrad on March 6 and the concurrent trilateral meeting of Lithuanian, Polish and Russian prime ministers.

In implementing its regional policies towards Russia and other neighbouring states, Lithuania also promotes measures that strengthen mutual trust and security, which increases transparency and predictability in the military realm required for the smooth expansion of NATO.

Belarus

Last year, Lithuania also agreed upon similar measures strengthening bilateral trust and security with its other eastern neighbour – Belarus, which is not an easy partner for either Lithuania or the West. Nevertheless, the main goal of our relations with Belarus must remain the spread of democracy in this country. Lithuania is and will be seeking to co-ordinate the efforts of the international community with regard to Belarus, in order to prevent the isolation of the Belarusian society.

In conclusion, I would like to stress once again that the assessment, opinions and suggestions of our compatriots abroad will always be important to us in implementing the strategic goals of the Lithuanian foreign policy, including membership in NATO based on consistent regional policies.

Indeed, it is hard to overestimate the importance of the contribution of Lithuanians in the US to this work. Your experience and determination, as well as your comprehensive support and enthusiasm in building the Lithuanian State has always been and will remain important in seeking our common goals. Today, Lithuania wants to return to a safe and stable Europe and is resolved to prove its determination to contribute to this goal. This year is crucial on Lithuania’s road to NATO. Therefore, let us unite in seeking political goodwill towards Lithuania’s membership in the Alliance, let us show the work that we have done together, and let us try to gain their favourable assessment. I am certain that, in this regard, the experience, activities and support of American Lithuanians will become one of the crucial factors determining our success in the international arena.

Thank you for your attention.