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NATO’s door remains open for all European democracies, which are willing and able to assume membership responsibilities and whose inclusion can contribute to common security and stability, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis said during the Vilnius Ten commemoratory round table event that was organized in Vilnius on 19 May.

According to the Minister, the Alliance’s Open Door policy is clearly reaffirmed among the findings of 17 May of the Group of Experts appointed by Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen regarding NATO’s New Strategic Concept.

The event at Vilnius Town Hall marks the 10th anniversary of the Vilnius Ten and aims to encourage mutual cooperation of countries aspiring to NATO membership – Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro – similarly to that of the Vilnius Ten group.

“The Vilnius Ten initiative was definitely a success. It provided a strong proof that aspirant countries were ready to contribute to building Euro-Atlantic security through cooperation rather than confrontation and by looking for an agreement rather than drawing new lines of division. By deciding to work together even before their accession, the aspirants passed a vital test demonstrating their readiness to join a consensus based organization, where countries constantly shape their interests in order to reach common ground,” Minister A.Ažubalis said during the discussion.

The Minister trusts that all the NATO aspirants share a common goal – increased security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.

“This common cause could once again become a powerful catalyst to unite their efforts,” the Minister said.

Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė, Georgia’s Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze, and State Secretary for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Croatia Davor Božinović, Chairman of Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Seimas (Parliament) Emanuelis Zingeris, high-ranking officials from the Vilnius Ten group and countries aspiring to NATO membership, representatives from the academic community are also attending the event in Vilnius.

Exactly ten years ago in May, foreign ministers of then-NATO aspirant countries – Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia - met for the first time in Vilnius. During the meeting, ministers decided to jointly cooperate when pursuing the Euro-Atlantic integration goals. Later, when Croatia joined this group, it became known as the Vilnius Ten.

Based on the ideas of solidarity, whole and free Europe, the Vilnius Ten initiative is one of the greatest Lithuania’s diplomatic achievements, which has helped the countries in this group to become NATO members. The Vilnius process has also contributed significantly to the new European security architecture and expansion of the area of democracy, security and stability.