Statement by Ms. Kristiina Ojuland at the 11th Ministerial Session of the Council of the Baltic Sea States

Ms. Kristiina Ojuland, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Svetlogorsk, March 6, 2002


Mr. Chairman,
Ministers,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


Please allow me to begin my remarks with congratulations to Mr. Uffe Ellemann-Jensen and Mr Hans Dietrich Genscher upon the tenth anniversary of their visionary and successful project, which has greatly benefited all of us who live here in the Baltic Sea region.

I

I would start with a quote from the opening statement that Mr Uffe Ellemann-Jensen made exactly ten years ago, as host of the first conference of the foreign ministers of the Baltic Sea States in Copenhagen:

“Indeed, I see the Baltic Sea region as one of the most important zones of growth in the coming decade. The Baltic Sea region contains a diverse industrial structure, access to raw materials and a highly qualified work force. We must do our best to create the right kind of framework to realise the growth potential of the region. Co-operation between us will play an important role in this.”

The past decade has provided ample proof that Uffe Ellemann-Jensen was right in his assessment of the potential of the Baltic Sea region. Today, it is taken for granted, that our part of the world is a region of stability and one of the fastest developing areas in Europe. Despite some setbacks in the world economy, all the members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States have, during these years, made considerable progress in the spheres of both economic and social development.

Back in 1992, there were more than a few sceptics who looked upon the Council of the Baltic Sea States as just another do-nothing international conglomerate of bureaucrats. Today, we can, however, note with satisfaction, that the Council has managed to preserve its original pragmatic and businesslike nature. And notable progress has been made in all the fields of co-operation which were identified as the priorities of the organisation for achieving two goals – enhanced democracy and sustainable development

II

At this point, in my capacity as the foreign minister of Estonia, I would, with your kind indulgence, like to present some examples of how my country has benefited directly from the activities of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.

Thanks to the international attention which the Council’s working group on nuclear and radiation safety drew to the problems connected with the decommissioning of the nuclear reactor at the former Soviet submarine base in Paldiski, and the depository of radioactive waste materials at the former Soviet military nuclear processing plant at Sillamäe, joint international solutions were found to these problems. Without assistance and support from our fellow Council member states, Estonia would have hardly been able to cope with these problems, as quickly and efficiently as we did.

Now, we can speak about a new landmark in the field of nuclear and radiation safety – the Agreement on the Exchange of Radiation Monitoring Data. This was an essential step in the on-going process of improving the environment, which we share.

Today, the Council of the Baltic Sea States can be regarded as an umbrella organisation which encompasses special task forces for fighting organised crime, and for eliminating communicable diseases, the new working group for child matters, and the movement, Baltic 21, for sustainable development.

Estonia has high regards for the task force for fighting organised crime, which has already proved to be a success. As one of the gateways to Europe, the Baltic Sea region has to constantly be on the alert for the various activities of international crime organisations and drug traffickers. Thus, effective co-operation between the law enforcement and judicial authorities of the Baltic Sea countries is of the utmost importance for Estonia. The successful joint efforts of the Estonian, Finnish, and Russian border guard and police are excellent examples of practical day-to-day co-operation in this part of the world.

Estonia attaches great importance to sub-regional co-operation, which is an integral part of all co-operative undertakings in the Baltic Sea region. In this connection, I would like to stress the valuable contributions that the Scandinavian countries have made by supporting the trilateral co-operative projects between the border regions of Estonia, Latvia, and Russia. Despite a number of practical problems, the work of the Council for the Co-operation of Border Regions, set up, within the framework of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, for developing economic and cultural ties between the adjacent territories of Estonia, Latvia, and Russia, has been successfully promoting the interests of the local business community, and stimulating cross-border contacts.

Of great value for Estonia, has been the EuroFaculty initiative, which has helped us to modernise and upgrade education in the spheres of law, economics, and administration in the three Baltic states. Today, we can note with satisfaction that the EuroFaculty project has also been implemented successfully in Kaliningrad.

The Baltic Sea region is presently one of the leading areas in the field of information and communication technology dissemination. Estonia in this context is one of the leading contributors.

Last but not least. Ten years ago, Estonia was importing democracy, now we are exporting democracy.

CBSS Commissioner has played a significant role in the promotion of democracy and we are convinced that this role will be continued.

III

On festive occasions such as this, it is customary to not only look back at what has been achieved, but to also to take a glance into the future. What will the next decade of the Council of the Baltic Sea States be like? What role and functions do we expect the Council to fulfil in a changing Europe? What should we do in to be satisfied with today’s decisions 10 years later? Estonia is confident that the organisation has, during the past decade, proved its vitality and importance. This international interest in our Council has, of course, been manifested by the presence of many observer countries. I am convinced that by continuing to pursue the same course of action, that is, by serving as a catalyst and initiator of co-operative projects and programmes which address regional problems, the Council of the Baltic Sea States will be as successful as it has been up till now, if not even more so. The strengthening of democratic institutions should continue.

One sphere of activity in which the Council will have an important and growing role to play, is that of civic security. We have to partake in the universal efforts devoted to the prevention of terrorism.

In a few years time, most member countries will have hopefully joined the European Union, and in this context, Estonia sees the Council having an important international role to play as a linkage between the non-EU Council member states and the European Union. We, likewise, expect the Council of Baltic Sea States to work actively, and in close co-operation, with the European Commission for the implementation of the Northern Dimension project.

And in conclusion, please allow me to paraphrase Mr Uffe Ellemann-Jensen’s quote with which I opened my address:

"Indeed, I see the Baltic Sea region as one of the most important zones of growth in the coming decade with the EU. The Baltic Sea region contains a diverse industrial structure, access to raw materials and a highly qualified work force. We must do our best to strengthen the right kind of framework to realise the growth potential of the region. Co-operation between us will play an important role in implementing our joint plans for the 21st century, in which a prominent position will be occupied by the ICT and the genetic engineering projects."


Thank you, Mr Chairman.