16 July 1999
(Deputy SecState praises role of Baltic states in Kosovo crisis) (3260) Washington - Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott says Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia "are not only eligible" for NATO membership, "they are making very real and concrete progress in that direction." He made this comment during a press briefing following the July 16 ceremonial signing of a joint communique of the U.S.-Baltic Partnership Commission. "The U.S. and its allies are committed to working with our Baltic friends to help them get ready to be members of the alliance," he said. "And in the wake of the Kosovo experience, the process of the open door is not going to slow down, nor is that process going to tilt to the south of Europe at the expense of the north." Talbott praised the helpful role the three nations have played in response to the Kosovo crisis. "They have all, despite the many other demands on their resources, taken in refugees, sent military units...helped in the work of putting together police and civil administration institutions, and also assisted in the overall program of humanitarian work in the wake of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia," he said. He was joined in the signing ceremony by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas, Latvian State Secretary Maris Reikstins, and Estonian Foreign Minister Toomas Hedrik Ilves. The U.S.-Baltic Charter's purpose is to expand political and economic ties among the signatories. The first meeting of the U.S.-Baltic Commission, which was established in January 1998, was held last year in Riga, Latvia. The second meeting was to have been held in May in Washington but was postponed because of the Kosovo crisis. The Commission, Talbott said, "is a classic example of preventive diplomacy and preventive cooperation," and its work "will guarantee that Northern Europe avoids the kind of trouble that has proved so devastating and dangerous in Southeastern Europe." Following is the State Department transcript: (begin text) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman July 16, 1999 REMARKS BY DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE STROBE TALBOTT, LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ALGIRDAS SAUDARGAS, LATVIAN STATE SECRETARY MARIS RIEKSTINS, AND ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TOOMAS HEDRIK ILVES DURING JOINT COMMUNIQUE SIGNING CEREMONY AND PRESS CONFERENCE Washington, D.C. DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT: Good morning to all of you. Let me formally welcome my three friends and colleagues: Foreign Minister Ilves, Foreign Minister Saudargas, and State Secretary Riekstins. I would like just to give all of you a little bit of background on today's meeting of the U.S.-Baltic Partnership Commission. The work that we have been doing through the morning and that we will continue into the early afternoon grows out of the signing here in Washington in January of 1998 by our four presidents of the U.S.-Baltic Charter. That Charter, among other things, set up the Commission at the work of the foreign ministries, and we had one meeting already in the last year in Riga. We were to have the second meeting this year here in Washington last May. And that meeting had to be delayed and postponed, and there's a one-word explanation for that -- which I think is actually relevant to the work that we've been doing here this morning -- and that one word is Kosovo. I began my own participation in the meeting this morning over breakfast by thanking my colleagues from the three Baltic states for their understanding, for their forbearance in the delay of this meeting; and also for the contribution that their states have made to the effort in the Balkans. They have all -- despite the many other demands on their resources -- taken in refugees, sent military units to the Balkans, helped in the work of putting together police and civil administration institutions, and also assisted in the overall program of humanitarian work in the wake of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. But there's a more general point that I want to stress here at the outset. One of the principal lessons to come out of the Kosovo experience on which I think all of us agree -- and indeed it's a lesson that we were taught by the earlier experience in Bosnia -- is that security and stability in Southern Europe are going to depend on exactly the kind of integration, institution building, and democratization that are already so far advanced in Northern Europe; and specifically in the Baltic region. I think that the U.S.-Baltic Partnership Commission is a classic example of preventive diplomacy and preventive cooperation. In other words, this kind of effort and the work that we are doing under the aegis of the Commission will guarantee that Northern Europe avoids the kind of trouble that has proved so devastating and dangerous in Southeastern Europe. And in that connection -- following up on what Secretary Albright said when she met with my colleagues last night -- I assure them today in the strongest terms that now that the Kosovo conflict is behind us and we're into the very important and also difficult work of implementation, we, the United States -- and I think our partners in the Alliance would say the same thing -- are going to reapply ourselves to the task of working on security and integration in Europe as a whole and especially in the region represented here. With regard to the process of enlarging the NATO Alliance and making good on the commitment of the open-door language in various NATO communiqués, including the one signed here in Washington, I reiterated in the strongest terms long-standing US policy; namely, that the three Baltic states are not only eligible for membership in the Alliance, they are making very real and concrete progress in that direction. No country should be excluded from eligibility for the Alliance on the grounds of either geography or history. The U.S. and its allies are committed to working with our Baltic friends to help them get ready to be members of the Alliance. And in the wake of the Kosovo experience, the process of the open door is not going to slow down, nor is that process going to tilt to the south of Europe at the expense of the north. Now, we have had a wide-ranging discussion that's touched on a number of other specific issues. I'll mention just a couple. One is the process of regional integration and cooperation and particularly the work of Council of Baltic Sea States. Lithuania has used its presidency of the CBSS to extend that cooperation and specifically to build further constructive relations with the Russian Federation. We also talked in a very focused discussion this morning about the issue of social integration and the importance of strengthening multi-ethnic democracy in all of the states -- and I stress all of the states here. I pointed out that the issue of social integration is one very familiar to us as Americans. We've been at the task for 224 years -- ever since we gained our own independence, and its social integration is still a work in progress for us. I use this occasion to express once again how pleased the United States Government is by the brave decision of President Vike-Freiberga of Latvia to work with the Latvian Parliament to improve the Language Law and bring it into line with OSCE standards. I also use the occasion to make very clear yet again that the United States, while supporting the OSCE standards with respect to all of the member states of the OSCE, will also make sure not to permit the goal posts to be moved in some way that will be unfair or disadvantageous to a worthy democracy which aspires, as all of these states do, to full membership in all of the institutions of the Euro-Atlantic community. Let me turn the podium over to my colleagues who will add a few words and then there will be time for a few questions before we have to go on with our program. FOREIGN MINISTER ILVES: Thank you, Strobe. Before I say anything about Estonia, I wanted to -- on behalf of the three of us -- I would like to thank you for what has been a very, very productive meeting. I can say with full confidence that we are all very pleased to hear you and the United States once again restate its commitment to the strong relationship that we have and to the aspirations of all three Baltic states, so thank you. And specifically Estonia since we -- despite rumors to the contrary -- are three independent and separate countries. I would say that from our point of view, the Partnership Charter has become a key component in our relationship with the United States and especially in light of such recent developments as NATO's Anniversary Summit and the Kosovo crisis. I believe that the Partnership framework's value will increase even further. For Estonia, NATO is a primary foreign policy priority. We are also fully cognizant and aware that membership depends above all on our own preparations; that is, what we do at home. On behalf of the new government I would like to assure you that Estonia is fully committed to meeting the responsibilities but more importantly the obligations of NATO membership. We understand that if we want to eventually be in NATO we must become a country who is awaited there; who is expected to be there. We want to be as good members as the Danes and the Dutch -- two other small countries. On the second topic concerning economic cooperation, I'm pleased to note that US and Estonian trade and investment is increasing and I'm pleased with the progress made by the bilateral working group on economic issues, as I am very pleased with the work we had on the -- in the bilateral working group on military issues. And with that, I think I'll turn it over to my dear colleague Algirdas Saudargas. FOREIGN MINISTER SAUDARGAS: We fully comply with that. FOREIGN MINISTER ILVES: Well I guess we've melded again together and we all agree. Thank you. DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT: Why don't we go to your questions. Q: Have you had any recent reading from the Russians whether they will in fact accept your idea of an open door in the Baltics? DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT: I'll let my colleagues share with you insofar as they want -- any communications they've had with our Russian partners in that regard. What I continue to hear from the Russian side is that they are against NATO enlargement -- period. They were against the first round; they strongly oppose the second round. They have, from time to time, expressed specific concerns and opposition with regard to the Baltic states. Obviously, this is an issue of very real disagreement between not just the United States and the Russian Federation, but between the Alliance as a whole and the Russian Federation. The point that I would stress, Jim, is that despite this disagreement, we have been able to manage it and we have been able to cooperate in a number of areas; most notably and pertinently, in the Balkans where NATO and Russia joined in, first, IFOR, and then SFOR. And more recently -- despite an additional disagreement of some intensity with the Russian Federation over NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia, we have been able to agree on terms of cooperation in KFOR. I think that the challenge for many years to come is going to be how to manage the disagreements, maintain total clarity about the guiding principles; one of which is that no state -- no sovereign state should be declared ineligible for NATO membership because of geography and history, while broadening and deepening areas of cooperation. But Tom, do you or one of the others want to say anything else on that? Q: Is the Baltic's membership in NATO an inevitability? DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT: Well, I would stop just short of saying it's inevitable. It is desirable. I think there is considerable reason for optimism that it will occur because of the extraordinary progress that these three countries have made -- are making -- and, there's every reason to think, will continue to make. I think one of the lessons of the trauma that we've all been through in Europe over the last several years -- not primarily in their region of Europe, but to the south of there -- is that we shouldn't throw around the concept of inevitability too much. There is -- there was nothing inevitable about the conflict which has inflamed Southern Europe. There's nothing inevitable about the kind of peace and progress and integration that's taking place in the North right now. We have to keep working on this; we have to be very attentive and conscientious and we shouldn't ever make the mistake of assuming that anything is foreordained or predestined. But I do think there is a good reason for confidence on their part, and good reason for the United States to keep working with our Baltic friends in that direction. Q: Mr. Talbott, you said the U.S. is committed to the open-door policy. Is the same also true about the European members of NATO, or are there disagreements about the open-door policy? DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT: I would simply refer you to the communique -- the joint statement that was issued here in Washington at the time of the summit. The language is unmistakable. The Alliance as a whole is committed to the principle of the open door. I know that there has been speculation in the press and elsewhere that Kosovo changes that in some way; I would argue quite the contrary. I think that the experience that we've had in the Balkans over the last several years affirms the importance of having a strong, new NATO that is capable of dealing with new challenges to the security of the continent. And so I would hope that as we absorb the lessons of Kosovo, we would put that in the category of additional reasons to keep the process going forward. Q: It's been expressed in the communiqué that the Energy Secretary would be specifically mentioned in the context of creating the best climate in the Baltics for increasing trade and investment with the United States. Could there be seen any reference to -- what was the reason for specifically mentioning the Energy Secretary -- seen any reference to the current projects (inaudible) in the Baltics? And if I could ask you the second part of my question is - whether the language for the three -- for each of the three Baltic States - on the issue of their defense spending? Is the language different in any way? And if so, why? What's the -- DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT: Different from? Q: Different in each case. Is the language used for Lithuania different for the language used for Estonia -- (inaudible.) DEPUTY SECRETARY TALBOTT: I see. I'm monopolizing the podium and I shouldn't do that. I'm going to hope that my colleagues will jump in here very quickly. With respect to the energy sector, I'll simply -- it is, of course, highlighted in the communiqué and will be highlighted in our activities. We are, as a group, about to go into a meeting on economic issues, but my colleagues may want to anticipate a couple of subjects that will come up there. With respect to defense spending, the goal or the standard is the same; performance, and accomplishments, and trends to date have been slightly different. And so the language is meant to accommodate both halves of that proposition. But all three states have committed themselves to not only qualify for NATO as strong, multi-ethnic democracies, but also in terms of their military capabilities, which is obviously essential. And they may want to say something further on that subject. FOREIGN MINISTER ILVES: Well, Estonia, as with the other two Baltic states, has a commitment to raising defense spending to two percent of GDP. Our current commitment is to raise it to 1.6 percent next year. On energy, well there is -- energy is a concern for every country. In the Estonian case, we have a huge and, I would say, last privatization, and that is in the energy sector. And this is clearly one area where we have worked closely with the United States from our point of view. FOREIGN MINISTER SAUDARGAS: On the defense budget, you know very well that the Lithuanian Parliament has committed itself to increase defense expenditures, and the present government is strongly supporting that; and we will continue to do that. There is no doubt on that. We regard this as a natural commitment because countries which are aspirants to become NATO members should take commitments on themselves as other -- at least to create and to strengthen the defense capabilities. That is not maybe directly related to figures, but in general the commitment is very strong. We would like to become allies in our behavior, earlier than we will become formally allies. So that is our position. STATE SECRETARY RIEKSTINS: Perhaps a few words on Latvia. We do have a similar commitment as our Estonian and Lithuanian friends. I would like to just have this opportunity to inform everyone that a few hours ago the Latvian Parliament has approved a decision concerning the new government. You can find in the new government's declaration a very clear commitment that the government will work in order to increase defense spending until two percent by the year 2003 with annual growth of that financing. Also, I informed today our American colleagues that the new government's foreign policy objectives remain the same, and we will try to use the Washington summit declaration in order, and also those elements like membership action plan, in order to prepare Latvia or make Latvia one of the strongest candidates for next enlargement round. Thank you. Q: (Inaudible) -- what (inaudible) reassurance here in Washington that the Kosovo crisis was -- (inaudible) Baltics won't get overlooked while expanding NATO? STATE SECRETARY RIEKSTINS: Well -- in fact that question was rather broadly discussed in today's meeting and also in the brainstorming session. I think that we have a common view on that -- that we, in the Baltic countries -- we paid also our attention to the Kosovo crisis. We have contributed to the solving of that crisis by very concrete measures by sending our medical units to the region, by sending humanitarian aid. And while we believe -- and we received also assurances from U.S. Government officials that for the next round of enlargement, that the only basis for decision will be a concrete country's readiness to join and also the Alliance's readiness to accept new members; not geographic or other reasons. Q: Gentlemen, yesterday, last night at the Estonian embassy, you met with Madeleine Albright. Could you tell us what was discussed there -- any specific details -- any one of you? What was the message she brought to you or what was the message -- (inaudible)? FOREIGN MINISTER ILVES: Well, I think I would sum it up very briefly by saying that Madame Secretary gave us the same message that Strobe just gave you here. I assume that U.S. foreign policy is coordinated between the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary. I would say the best summary was precisely what Strobe Talbott said here ten minutes ago. Q: Thank you. (end transcript)