NATO Romania

The Bucharest Summit will probably be the largest meeting in the Alliance’s history, with a complex agenda and diverse formats. We look forward to welcoming to Bucharest our NATO Allies, our neighbours, partners and contributors from the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond. We expect to host a large number of delegates, including high representatives of international organizations, academic circles and journalists, participating in the different events and meetings in the margins of the Summit.

As you well know, one of the main topics of the Summit is enlargement and evolving partnerships. We will be proud to open in Bucharest a new door to NATO. This will be a political decision, based on the record of accomplishment by each candidate, as well as on the changing regional context. This change stems from a new sense of neighbourliness and a new understanding of common chances and challenges. We are at a turning point for the Western Balkans. It is time for Albania, Croatia and Macedonia to join Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey in NATO’s South-eastern quarter. We look forward to having our new Partnership for Peace members Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia in their first meeting with the Euro-Atlantic Partnership leaders and we stand by them in their pursuit of an enhanced and upgraded relationship with NATO.

For all these promising prospects, we still face a major challenge in the Balkans. The Kosovo question has yet to receive an answer. We should be mindful that Kosovo could bring new meaning to the administrative organization of national minorities, wherever they may lie. By endorsing such an approach, policy makers should be aware that they are implicitly endorsing collective rights, a concept which is not in line with agreed European and international standards. Under these circumstances, what messages are we sending to multiethnic societies? Or to other states that are riddled by ethnic strife or frozen conflicts?

In our opinion, however well guided humanitarian intervention is in time of war, peace should bring with it law and order, devolution of power and respect for the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, and, as the case may be, international scrutiny. Otherwise, we could be casting a shadow on the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.

From Romania’s standpoint, in the absence of a Security Council resolution and/or a bilateral agreement between Belgrade and Pristina, my country will not be able to recognize a declaration of independence by Kosovo, irrespective of the label such act will have: coordinated or unilateral. Whatever the outcome, the next few weeks are crucial. The international community is called upon to demonstrate the ability both to manage the expectations of the Kosovo-Albanians and to alleviate misapprehensions of the Serbian political establishment and public opinion. That is why Romania is prepared to continue our contribution to the stability of the region by participating in the KFOR and the future ESDP mission.

Let me share with you my thoughts about Serbia. I have just returned from Belgrade where I had talks with President Tadic and Prime Minister Kostunita. They are facing difficult and testing moments for their country. Like all our states, Serbia is a proud nation, with a rich culture and a promising future. It is also a key country for regional stability and economic growth. Therefore, it is crucial that democracy prevails and consolidates in Serbia. That is why we must be ready to offer Belgrade a clear perspective of returning to its rightful place within the integrated Europe and Trans-Atlantic community. At the same time, the Serbian people must understand that this European future is based on merits and reforms and not on trade-offs.