"THE BALTIC SEA REGION FROM A U.S. PERSPECTIVE"

Charles Ries, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs

REMARKS AT BALTIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM SUMMIT

Copenhagen, Denmark
October 15, 2002

Chairman Ellemann-Jensen, distinguished guests. It is a pleasure to represent the U.S. government at the Baltic Development Forum Summit.

Last year, this group came together in St. Petersburg, just after the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11. Every leader on that occasion delivered deep and heartfelt condolences to the United States and to those from all nations who lost their lives. All recognized that the attack was not just against the United States, but against our shared fundamental values and democratic principles. In the year since those tragic events, the governments of this region have contributed to the war on terrorism and to the liberation and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

For this support and solidarity, we continue to be profoundly grateful.

Today we meet in the aftermath of vicious and despicable new acts of terrorism in Bali, in Yemen and in Kuwait. These are a chilling reminder that the war on terrorism is not over. As President Bush said on September 11, this struggle will be a long one, the victories sometimes not clear or satisfying. To prevail, we must rededicate ourselves to cooperation in the fields of intelligence, law enforcement, and joint action.

I can think of no other area that embodies the principles of shared values and common purpose better than this Baltic Sea region. In this dynamic region, the United States enjoys a strong partnership in multiple and often interlocking ways. We have superb bilateral relations with every nation represented here. Further, we work cooperatively and productively together in a thriving network of formal and informal multilateral groupings.

We cooperate with the three Baltic States under the U.S.-Baltic Charter, and with the Nordic and Baltic states under the auspices of Nordic-Baltic Ministerial cooperation. We are actively engaged with our allies and partners in the Baltic Sea region through NATO’s Partnership for Peace and the Membership Action Plan. We are active observers in the Council of Baltic Sea States, and have worked closely with Task Forces on Organized Crime and Communicable Diseases. We have supported the CBSS Eurofaculty program at the University of Kaliningrad and assisted efforts to address public health issues.

Our membership in the Arctic Council puts us squarely in this region geographically, not just spiritually. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs [Paula] Dobriansky is leading our delegation to the Arctic Council ministerial underway right now, working on such challenges as climate change.

The U.S. cooperates with the European Union on a range of issues. The EU's Northern Dimension parallels our own Northern Europe Initiative. We work together on regional security, developing civil society, social integration, combating crime and corruption, cleaning up the environment, and dealing with the scourges of HIV/AIDS and drug-resistant tuberculosis.

In this connection, let me make clear the United States strongly supports EU enlargement. We see enlargement as a force for stability, prosperity and democracy in the region and value the efforts of the Danish Presidency to make this happen. We are pleased that the Presidency has recognized the need to ensure that enlargement not be used to require the accession candidates to make false choices between Europe and America. To business leaders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, we believe you can and should maintain all your trading and investment relationships with us even as you take your places in Brussels. In fact, we look forward to your bringing a bit more of that famous Baltic trading orientation to the EU.

Through the Northern Europe Initiative the U.S. has been a part of the regional development process. We work with all the nations in the area, including Russia, to address cross-border issues. Through NEI we've invested more than $30 million in programs that build partnerships while tackling problems in areas as diverse as public health and social integration, environmental degradation, trafficking and corruption. Our assistance to prosecutors in the three Baltic States helps build the legal foundation necessary for these societies to thrive. Training programs in Lithuania for entrepreneurs from Russia and Belarus build bridges while enhancing business skills.

The recent Helsinki Women Business Leaders Summit, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, brought together 50 outstanding American women business leaders with Finnish, Russian, and Baltic state counterparts. These women leaders exchanged best practices and strategized about "growing" their businesses. This event is another example of cross-border cooperation and a model for encouraging entrepreneurship and fostering women's participation in economic development, proving yet again that the success of the Baltic region can be an example to other parts of the world.

While the Northern Europe Initiative has achieved a great deal, and the Baltic States represent one of the great success stories of redevelopment and reform in post-Cold War Europe, we believe there’s still more work to be done. We intend to continue this program, reshaping it where experience dictates and increasing the partnership opportunities among the Nordic and Baltic States, our country and relevant non-governmental organizations.

We have applauded and tangibly supported the national aspirations of the three Baltic States to take their rightful places as full members of the Euro-Atlantic Community of democracies and free-market economies. We have welcomed and valued the assistance our Nordic allies and partners have invested in bringing this goal to fruition, thereby securing the peace and freedom of their own region. We stand in admiration as we watch Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania become producers rather than consumers of security, and stand side by side with us in the war on terrorism and in the Balkans.

In Washington we very much value the network of support and cooperation that exists in this region, and we admire the values this region embodies. Leaders of every country in the Baltic Sea region have met with the highest levels of the U.S. government over the past half year -- with President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary Powell, Secretary Rumsfeld and senior members of Congress. In each meeting, U.S. leaders have been struck by the fact that the achievements of this region -- particularly of the three Baltic States -- are testimony to your own high aspirations, your own hard work, your own steadfast persistence and willingness to overcome daunting obstacles.

U.S.-Baltic economic and commercial relations are strong. Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have made remarkable progress over the past 12 years in creating stable market economies. As these economies continue to grow, more U.S. companies will be drawn to the region. Our Department of Commerce has found that American firms are particularly interested in doing business here in the areas of environmental technologies, information technology, wood processing and biotechnology.

Today we stand on the threshold of a new era. In just a few short weeks, NATO and the EU will take historic decisions to expand and adapt to meet new challenges. In this new era, the United States will work actively to build on the success that our cooperation and common purpose have achieved. We will remain steadfast in working to complete the task that has been our guiding principle for the past decade: that of erasing the dividing lines and stereotypes of the Cold War and achieving a Europe whole, free and at peace. We welcome the opportunity to work closely with Russia on common challenges in the NATO-Russia Joint Council, and more broadly, want to continue to reach out to Russia with policies and concrete programs that build confidence while creating regional solutions to regional problems.

We look forward to our efforts together with this region to face the global challenges of this new era: combating terrorism; stemming the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; curbing the debilitating effects of disease and environmental degradation. The Baltic Sea region has emerged as a model for other parts of Europe and Eurasia, and can help to extend the benefits of freedom and civil society even further afield to the Caucasus and Central Asia. By setting in place structures that enable investment, promote the rule of law, guarantee the rights of citizens and build responsible, representative governments, this region is a beacon for what can be accomplished through cooperation and partnerships. You have indeed created a Baltic "brand."

As we move forward in the 21st century, the United States will seek to build on this success, working with our partners to complete the tasks required to ensure freedom and prosperity in this region, and working together to meet new global challenges. We will bear in mind the lessons of cooperation and partnership that have served us well. These principles will form the basis for a dynamic agenda for outreach and cooperation between the United States and Northern Europe in the years to come.