Statement by H.E. Dr. Janez Drnovsek, Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia at the North Atlantic Council Meeting
21 November 2002
Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be here in Prague, with long-time
partners. A lot of hope and expectations were attached to this Summit
over the past year. At the meetings with my fellow colleagues from
candidate countries in Bratislava, Bucharest and Riga the need for
further enlargement was emphasized repeatedly. I am therefore glad
that NATO remained true to its principle of "Open-Door
Policy" and, on behalf of the Republic of Slovenia, I would like
to thank you for inviting us to join the Alliance.
Slovenia is a long-standing candidate country for entry into
NATO. We are therefore well aware of the significance of this
moment. The road that we traveled in reaching this goal was full of
challenges and, sometimes, disappointments. Nonetheless, throughout
this period Slovenia always stood firmly by NATO as a reliable
partner, acting in the spirit of the Alliance. I believe this reflects
the keen awareness in Slovenia that we owe part of our success as a
country to NATO, which brought stability to our immediate
neighborhood, by decisively intervening in the Balkans. In other
words, we know that NATO has already contributed to our security. The
invitation to join the Alliance therefore represents a welcome
opportunity for Slovenia to accept its share of responsibility for the
stability of Europe and international peace.
Excellencies,
Today's decision has historic proportions, not only for the nations
invited but also for this Continent. An important and irreversible
step has been made towards Europe whole and free and at peace. The
nations invited to join NATO will reinvigorate the organization and
strengthen its ability to remain the most successful system of
collective defense to date. However, there are countries whose
aspirations to join the Alliance have not been met at this Summit and
who must have a chance to join it when they are able to assume the
responsibilities that the membership brings.
NATO's largest enlargement ever is an important event in
itself. However, we are well aware of the fact that Prague is not an
end, but the beginning. For the invited countries this Summit
represents the beginning of a vigorous process of final preparations
for membership during the forthcoming accession procedure. For NATO it
represents the beginning of an accelerated process of transformation
into an international organization that is fully adapted to the
challenges set by the post-September 11 era.
September 11 gave new substance to all existing forms of
international cooperation, but especially to existing security
structures, such as NATO. Moreover, it effectively brought to an end
the Cold War inertia in thinking that lasted for a whole decade after
the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the wake of the terrorist attacks in
the United States a new world-wide coalition came into being. For the
first time, there is real partnership between NATO and Russia. NATO is
thus acquiring a truly new dimension - the one that we, too, wish for.
Excellencies,
This is an important day, not only for Slovenia, but also for me
personally. It represents the symbolic conclusion of a process that
has been an integral part of the first decade of Slovenian
independence. In all these years many things have changed, both in
NATO and also in Slovenia. What has not changed, however, is our
common attachment to the European ideal and to trans-Atlantic
cooperation. Today's decision therefore represents an important
reaffirmation of the values and ideas we share. We therefore look
forward to working with all the Allied nations in our common efforts
to bring more security, more stability and peace to the world.
Thank you.
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