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Vilnius, February 8, 2005

Distinguished participants of this Conference,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to welcome all of you in Vilnius. For the last several months Vilnius has been bustling with various activities involving our partners and friends from the Black Sea Region. Expansion of the European Union and NATO brought us much closer to the South Caucasus nations. Promotion of stability, security and prosperity in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, has become one of the main objectives of both organizations.

Some twelve years ago, the three Baltic States stood at nearly the same departure point as the three South Caucasus nations stand today. With the assistance and advice of our European and American partners, the Baltic States have established functioning democracies and market economies. This is good news for your countries: it means you can also do this. And we are ready to share our experience in this process.

Our initiative to use joint efforts of the Baltic States in assisting the South Caucasus countries in their transformation is based on our traditional and cultural links with these countries, also on the perception that our transitional experience of internal reforms and the realisation of the strategic goals would be helpful for Georgians, Armenians and Azeris. On a strategic level, we also stress the strategic importance that the South Caucasus region bears in the wider context of addressing global threats, of promoting stability and democracy in Greater Middle East and Central Asia, and of securing safe energy transit from the Caspian oil and gas sources.

I believe that this conference embodies to a large extent the Baltic-South Caucasus cooperation formula, allowing us to share and promote the Baltic experience of European and Euro-Atlantic integration and regional cooperation. In this regard, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the George Marshall Center and its highly professional staff in organising this event. I believe that during these days the hospitality of George Marshall Centre and the Lithuanian Government will inspire us to develop a broader and more enhanced view on the issues pertinent to the South Caucasus nations. Ladies and Gentlemen,European Union’s decision to include Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia into the European Neighborhood Policy is drawing new guidelines for South Caucasus in the processes of political, economic and administrative reforms. At the same time it provides EU and South Caucasus countries with the frame for suitable policy and cooperation instruments.Lithuania, which was the most vigorous supporter of the extension of the European Neighborhood Policy to South Caucasus, considers this EU decision as completing the geographic boundaries of the EU strategic interests in Eastern Europe. At the same time it has a fundamental importance for the European aspirations of these countries.

We believe that EU could bring to the region the core for the solution of the main problems: political changes and economic reforms that would provide these countries with opportunity to implement the most important objective – to build an attractive state for their citizens.The next stage of European Neighborhood Policy towards South Caucasus should be developed into effective Action Plans those would match each country’s individual needs by including three elements: EU expectations from each South Caucasus’ country, the expectations of countries themselves and regional co-operation perspectives.Implementing our commitments, Lithuania has launched training projects for civil servants from all three South Caucasus countries. Reacting to the Georgian request, from the beginning of this year we have started the project on long-term technical assistance on European integration issues for Georgia, which would cover the assistance in development of Georgia’s national strategy of integration, assistance in preparation of European Neighborhood Action Plan, consultations on issues of institutional coordination. We also call for deeper EU involvement through the usage of available ESDP instruments.
 The role of EU Rule of Law Mission, which has been launched in Georgia last summer under the Lithuanian initiative, could serve as a successful example of the benefits that EU could provide for the region.

Last round of NATO enlargement clearly signals, that NATO remains open for other democracies able and willing to contribute to transatlantic security. NATO has already taken few important decisions about its presence in the region. We will continue working in NATO to make sure, that this organization remains focused on the needs of South Caucasus and its individual partners. I welcome decision of all three countries to make best use of available IPAP (individual partnership action plan) format. We stand ready to assist you in various areas of your security sector reform. My only advise to you all – use existing instruments well to advance you reforms on the ground, produce strategic defense review, get broadest possible political backing and stick to your long-term plans. I truly believe that by working thoroughly and together we can push frontiers of freedom even wider. “Frozen” conflicts, or being more precise “frozen resolution of the conflicts”, disrupting the territorial integrity of South Caucasus countries – this is the issue that requires especial attitude by Euro-Atlantic community, aiming to deliver peaceful resolution of remaining problems. It is time to raise a question to ourselves - do we believe that the existing negotiation formats and peacekeeping mechanisms of conflict resolution on the territory of the former Soviet Union deliver the expected results?

The first challenge for us is an issue of Georgia-Russia border monitoring after the prolongation of OSCE BMO was vetoed. The closure of the BMO could create a “deficit of security” in the region. That is why Lithuania stresses on the need of “international presence” on the Georgia-Russia border. Together with some EU Member States we encourage EU to consider ESDP measures. We support the proposal to send EU fact-finding mission to Georgia to define parameters of possible EU led border-monitoring operation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Yet even most intensive international involvement would be insufficient without the obvious efforts made by the South Caucasus countries themselves leading towards the area - institutionally strong, intra-regionally integrated and driven by common values.Therefore, let me express the wish that the outcome of this conference would be the generation of concrete ideas on how the Baltic outreach and the lessons learnt could be consolidated with the potential of South Caucasus and reinforced with the capacities of European and Euro-Atlantic structures.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to introduce you Georgian Foreign Minister Ms. Salome Zourabichvili, who will announce the Joint Address of the President of Lithuania Mr. Valdas Adamkus and the President of Georgia Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili to the participants of this conference