official texts and speeches
Remarks by Ambassador Thomas Miller
Ninth Annual Thessaloniki Forum
AS DELIVERED
Panel on
"Regional Political Cooperation:
A Prerequisite for Balkan Investment and Development”
Monday, May 20, 2002
The Hyatt Regency Hotel, Thessaloniki
Ladies and Gentlemen, first of all I would like to congratulate the organizers of this Forum. I think it is very useful enterprise and from a look at the program there are very distinguished speakers here and I think the focus of the topics is very important. I have been asked to speak about “Regional Political Cooperation: A Prerequisite for Balkan Investment and Development.”
The United States, Greece and the European Union, and the international community in a larger sense are committed to building solid, long lasting democracies in the Balkan region. We are working together for shared standards of human rights; we hope to open the borders to trade and investment; and we hope to create in a general sense a better standard of living for the people of Southeast Europe. The key is to make peace and prosperity durable and war unthinkable. That is to give people such a large stake in these positive aspects that they would not even think of going back to war as an alternative.
What we know is that without peace, stability, and democracy, the region cannot make itself an integral part of that truly extraordinary success story which is Western Europe in the last fifty years. Through regional and other initiatives, we can make the rule of law the rule for all European countries. We must all recognize that without the rule of law, trade and investment cannot translate into prosperity. Equally, the rule of law means that we must fight with new determination against organized crime and corruption.
It is striking how quickly Greece and other countries in the region have acted upon these principles in their bilateral relations as well as in cooperation with my country. For example, we applaud the recent success of Greece and Turkey in working with our Drug Enforcement Administration to interdict drug trafficking in the region. Again, Greece and Turkey recently signed an important bilateral agreement to deal with the massive flows of illegal immigrants. Sharing of information and joint training of customs officials and border guards have become more the rule, rather than the exception. This is no longer news anymore as it once was. Under the aegis of the Stability Pact, which I know is very ably represented here today, a regional clearinghouse for illegal trafficking of women has been established in Belgrade.
Indeed, regional political initiatives like the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI), the Stability Pact, the Southeastern European Defense Ministerial, are just three examples of being the key to Southeast Europe's ability to function within the rule of law and to create stable governments that respect democratic principles.
Let me say a word about these three organizations very quickly. First, the Stability Pact, consisting of more than 40 countries, seeks to build cooperation and democracy and end further conflict and ethnic cleansing. The countries are committed to stabilizing, transforming, and eventually integrating the region into the European and Transatlantic mainstream. The Southeastern European Defense Ministerial, second of these organizations, is also open to all Balkan nations. We work closely with it -- we, the United States, and NATO -- to instill in the members of this organization a sense of collective responsibility for the security of the region.
The third organization I want to say a word about is SECI, the Southeastern European Cooperative Initiative, which was initiated by my country. {Dick Schifter is coming this afternoon; you will meet the founding father of SECI, and he deserves a great deal of credit for this.} SECI is dedicated to enhancing regional cooperation and stability by encouraging cooperative and transboundary solutions to economic and environmental problems. The focus here is on very specific solutions to very specific problems. An example -- just one of the many examples of SECI initiatives -- is the SECI anti-crime center in Budapest. This anti-crime center helps to fight threats to regional security and prosperity. We are very pleased that Greece has chosen to play a leading role in SECI customs and border security programs.
Success of these regional initiatives depends upon the leadership of the essential players in the region, particularly countries like Greece.
Greece is the richest country in the Balkans and, in many ways, it is the role model for its Balkan neighbors. It is literally and figuratively -- and I have seen this over the years that I served in this country -- the economic engine that drives the Balkans. When I talk to US investors, as some of you know well, I do not talk about Greece as a market for 11 million but as a market for 50 million. Commendably, Greece has stepped up to the plate and is committing over a half a billion dollars to a five-year Balkan Reconstruction Program. Similarly, the U.S. has committed large amounts of money annually to the countries in the region in the form of technical assistance and rule of law programs, most of which are going through our SEED program. The challenge for Greece, the United States and for other donors as well, is to coordinate and synergize our aid efforts to make sure that we establish uniform performance criteria targeted to our primary goals. These goals are the establishment of rule of law and a fertile climate for the development of trade and investment.
While not particularly surprising, it is very encouraging that Greece has chosen to make the Balkans one of the main focuses of its EU presidency coming up next January. I think this offers a great opportunity for the U.S., Greece and the rest of the EU to enter into a constructive dialogue on how we can most effectively utilize regional institutions, create new mechanisms when necessary, and fine tune our existing efforts so as to avoid, as much as possible, waste and duplication.
I would like to cite one example of a potentially promising cooperative U.S.-Greek effort that should be of great interest to people in this room, to businessmen in northern Greece: this is the Initiative for Technology Cooperation in the Balkans. Everything has an acronym and this is ITCB. The purpose of ITCB is to prompt greater use of new technologies throughout the Balkans in order to spark and stimulate private sector activity. Through skillful management and leveraging of relatively limited funds, ITCB has begun projects to enhance precision farming and protect the wetlands. These are just two examples; there is a tremendous potential here.
ITCB would certainly benefit from other large-scale projects. Here is an opportunity for Greece to consider projects aimed at spreading technology to other Balkan countries in the context of its Balkan Reconstruction Program. Additional funding could be garnered from other EU development aid programs, as well, I would imagine.
This is only one sector in which government and the private sector, or a combination of the two, can combine their efforts to establish the durable political and economic infrastructure in the Balkans that will foster growth and prosperity.
Obviously, governments cannot and should not -- and I want to emphasize, should not -- do the job alone. Clearly, over time, NGOs and increasingly the private sector should and hopefully will assume the lion's share of the burden -- as well as potential benefits -- and that is the key, there are not just burdens; there are payoffs, if this goes right, of sustaining the momentum of regional initiatives and assistance programs.
As business leaders in Thessaloniki, the commercial hub of the Balkans, -- I know that this is kind of an advertising phrase, but I really do believe that to be the case, and if any of you are from other cities in the Balkans, this is not meant to be offensive -- you are among the main catalysts for economic development in the region and this is why this Forum is so important. Your efforts at developing trade and investment in neighboring countries will go a long way in helping to consolidate the political foundations of democracy and the rule of law, which all of our countries are working to establish more firmly throughout the Balkans.
Thank you very much.