News

On 24 September, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis congratulated his counterpart from the Netherlands Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on the appointment to the position of NATO Secretary General. Under the North Atlantic Council’s decision of 23 September, he will replace present NATO Secretary General George Robertson from 1 January 2004. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has supported consistently NATO enlargement into the Baltic States and spoke in favour of close trans-Atlantic cooperation and strengthening of relations between the EU and NATO. “We believe that the enlarged Alliance will benefit greatly from the experience of Jaap de Hoop Scheffer with a view to guaranteeing security, stability and democracy in the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond”, Minister Valionis said. In his opinion, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer’s appointment as new Secretary General of NATO is a major victory of the Netherlands’ foreign policy and its recognition in the international arena.