NATO SUMMIT BUCHAREST AGENDA

The Alliance has understood that Trans-Atlantic collective defence could not be defined in a purely geographical sense. To protect Allied security, we need to contribute to international security. NATO’s success in Afghanistan is key for the future of that country, for our fight against terrorism and thus for our own defence. We have made solid progress and our commitment is strong. We now must ensure that this progress is irreversible. As the first non-NATO country in Afghanistan since 2002, Romania will join its Allies to reconfirm, in Bucharest, our united vision for success in Afghanistan, together with our mission partners.

NATO’s evolving commitments have proved the need for a comprehensive approach to collective defence. Strengthening NATO’s partnership and cooperation policy is a key dimension of this approach. We hope the Bucharest Summit will mark renewed NATO-UN cooperation, as well as stronger ties with our partners for security, Australia, Japan and New Zeeland.

We should also send the message that a strong and active NATO would also reinforce a strong European Union and vice-versa. Further expanding NATO-EU partnership in Kosovo and Afghanistan will remain a priority for Romania and we hope this process will also bring Turkey closer to Europe.

Comprehensive approach to collective defence also means further investing in our security. Taking into account the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, we strongly believe that the allied states should continue to work seriously on developing a NATO missile defence system, complementary and integrated with the American project. The Summit would be a proper venue to move forward on this issue, based on solidarity and indivisibility of Trans-Atlantic security.

We also hope Bucharest will take the decisions from Riga one-step further and define NATO’s added value in energy security and cyber security. We should speed up the process of identifying a niche role for NATO in these fields, using the unique assets of the organization and avoiding unnecessary duplications with other actors involved. This aspect becomes ever more relevant as we are witnessing a newly found enthusiasm for developing pipelines meant to compete with Europe’s Nabucco and Pan European Oil Pipeline (PEOP) projects.

NATO’s expertise in defence reform, crisis management and maritime security can be used to provide assistance and know-how in protecting energy infrastructure and sea lines of communication. We must also bear in mind that energy concerns go hand in hand with environmental protection. In the end, environmental protection creates human security.

In conclusion, the Bucharest Summit could be a bridge between NATO’s Euro-Atlantic and international engagements, between our achievements and what should be further done in view of the anniversary Summit in 2009 and the Summits to follow. We also expect the Bucharest Summit to reconfirm the importance of the Trans-Atlantic link and our unyielding commitment to advance democracy and stability.

This forward paper is a speech delivered by H.E. Traian Băsescu, President of Romania, at The German Marshall Fund, Brussels, 31 January 2008