June 22, 2005Back

United States Praises Accomplishments of Baltic Sea States

At a recent meeting of the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the United States praised the development of democratic institutions and vibrant market economies in the region.

“The Baltic Sea region has accomplished much in recent years, with perhaps the most notable accomplishment being the full integration of the Baltic States and Poland into major Euro-Atlantic organizations,” said Stephen D. Mull, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, during a CBSS ministerial meeting in Szczecin, Poland, June 10.  “These countries have now returned to the Europe from which they were separated for 50 years.”

The region has the opportunity to share with neighboring countries such as Georgia and Ukraine “the lessons learned from the transformations that have taken place within CBSS borders,” Mull said.

He also remarked on the challenges the region still faces, including the need to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and to combat the trafficking of women and children and other forms of crime and corruption.

Mull expressed the willingness of the United States to work with the Baltic Sea States to confront these issues. An initiative called the Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe, or e-PINE, was launched in 2003 “as one way to ensure our continued engagement in the region,” he noted.

“The Baltic region has a bright future, and it is helping to bring that future to others. We remain committed to working with the CBSS … and look forward to deepening our active engagement in the Baltic Sea region,” the ambassador said.

Following is the text of Mull’s statement:

STATEMENT TO THE COUNCIL OF BALTIC SEA STATES (CBSS) MINISTERIAL SESSION

Stephen D. Mull, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania
Statement at the 13th CBSS Ministerial Session

Szczecin, Poland
June 10, 2005

It is an honor to represent the United States at the 13th CBSS Ministerial Session.

The United States has participated in every CBSS Ministerial meeting since gaining observer status in 1999. Our government sought to associate with the CBSS because we believed that it was important for us to strengthen engagement in the Baltic Sea region and that this is a valuable forum for regional cooperation. Today we see our ties as vital and critical.

The Baltic Sea region has accomplished much in recent years, with perhaps the most notable accomplishment being the full integration of the Baltic States and Poland into major Euro-Atlantic organizations. Following their own remarkable progress in developing democratic institutions and vibrant market economies to the benefit of their own citizens and neighboring nations, these countries have now returned to the Europe from which they were separated for 50 years.

The United States engages with the countries of the Baltic Sea region on a vast range of issues and in multiple forums. In October 2003, we launched the Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe, also known as e-PINE, together with the Nordic and Baltic countries, as one way to ensure our continued engagement in the region. E-PINE's three areas of emphasis - cooperative security, vibrant economies, and healthy societies - parallel and reinforce many CBSS programs and initiatives.

Our regular consultations with e-PINE partners also provide opportunities to coordinate efforts with Nordic and Baltic partners in helping to spread the same benefits and progress achieved by the Baltic States over previous years to neighboring countries to the east of the Baltic Sea region. With the remarkable and praiseworthy democratic transformations taking place in Ukraine and Georgia, the nations within the Council of Baltic Sea States have an opportunity to share with neighboring countries the lessons learned from the transformations that have taken place within CBSS borders.

We also recognize that there are still challenges within this region, and the CBSS provides an excellent way to address them in a cooperative fashion.

We have in the past worked together on efforts to counter HIV/AIDS, and will do so in the future. The U.S. urges all countries to do more to combat the HIV virus domestically and internationally. We must act now and act decisively in order to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS. Failure to do so will expose every country in the region to a major health risk and a threat to economic prosperity.

The U.S. Government continues to support efforts to attack crime and corruption in the region. One major area of ongoing concern is the scourge of trafficking in women and children. We hope the CBSS Task Force on Organized Crime, Experts Group on Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Women and Children, will play a dynamic and valuable role in the region in this regard. The United States offers our continued cooperation through our representative to this crucial panel, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security representative at our Embassy in Copenhagen.

We continue to be grateful for the CBSS declaration adopted in 2002 condemning the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States and pledging cooperation against international terrorism. We have not yet defeated this plague, though progress has been made. While the Baltic Sea region has been largely spared from attacks, the tragedy at Beslan [Russia] reminds us that CBSS member states are not immune from terrorism. We remain deeply concerned about fundraising and recruitment activities within the borders of CBSS nations. We cannot afford to be complacent anywhere. The sustained efforts of all CBSS members will help us finally defeat the terrorists who threaten us all.

The Baltic region has a bright future, and is helping to bring that future to others. We remain committed to working with the CBSS and through other multilateral networks such as e-PINE to address issues of mutual concern, and look forward to deepening our active engagement in the Baltic Sea region.

Thank you.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)