Speech by Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov at the conference “New challenges to the Russia-EU partnership” (12 April 2010, Brussels)
Dear organizers of the Conference, ladies and gentlemen!
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the executives of the «Unity for Russia» Foundation and «Russkij Mir Foundation» for the opportunity to present a report on Russian vision of the current situation with security system in Euro-Atlantic region and to propose possible means of improvement of existing shortcomings.
My position as the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the European Union provides me with good opportunities to participate in international discussions on this issue. And I have to admit that these discussions revealed an overall dissatisfaction – for a variety of reasons - with the current European security architecture. There is a growing understanding, notably at high level, that existing security system is inadequate and its decision-making mechanisms need reconsideration. There is a set of organizations aimed at dealing with current security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic space. But the point is that we neither have common strategy nor unified international legal standards to respond to these challenges.
That is why in June, 2008 Russian President Dmitri Medvedev put forward the initiative to conclude a new comprehensive and legally binding European Security Treaty (further – draft Treaty).
Speaking at the 46th International Security Conference in Munich in February, 2010 the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton has confirmed that the EU is open to discuss ideas laid down in the draft Treaty. We have also noted her correct assessment concerning the lack of legitimacy and effectiveness of current Pan-European security structures.
Legitimacy is the main point of the draft Treaty under which the Parties should assume an obligation not to enhance one’s own security at the expense of the security of others and to formalize an implementation mechanism for the principle of indivisibility of security.
We are quite often asked, why not to solve this task in the framework of the existing structures?
The answer is very simple. The European Union, NATO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – all these structures represent organizations that ensure security only for its members. The idea of the Treaty is to create a common security framework for all states with no exception.
It is not our intention to impose ready-made answers upon the partners. The draft Treaty sent in November, 2009 to the Heads of States and Governments of all countries in the Euro-Atlantic area as well as to the leaders of the organizations dealing with security issues in the Euro-Atlantic space, is first of all an invitation to hold a subject dialogue, to analyze the reasons of functional failures of the present system. In other words, we are open to proposals on specific provisions of the draft Treaty.
I would like to note thereupon that originally the European Security Treaty was developed as a comprehensive document covering all major aspects of «hard security». However, given the outcome of international discussions and partner’s feedback, the draft Treaty focused now on the main strategic issue – the principle of indivisibility of security preventing any state or organization from strengthening their security at the expense of others.
We often hear from our western partners that NATO is the main provider of security to the region. Undoubtedly, NATO is an important international organization. But the problem is that NATO-centrism in its absolute form or any other “centrism” will never become a universal security building measure. Besides that, we are all realists and understand that a number of countries of our region will in any case remain outside NATO. And they will ask themselves, how they can exercise their unalienable right to equal security.
The question is crucial: is the fundamental principle of indivisibility of security still supported and shared by the Euro-Atlantic community? If the answer is «yes», as we hope, than, what prevent us from reaffirming already undertaken political commitments in legally binding form?
We are not going to step up this process artificially – political will should gain its critical mass. But the process should be inclusive and engage all international actors - states and organizations.
Hence a logical question – what is the best format for discussions and negotiations on the European Security Treaty? Formal approach advocates OSCE as a guardian of basic philosophy and commitments regarding interstate relations in Euro-Atlantic area. Besides, its membership covers the whole region. The OSCE is a universal organization and nobody calls this into question. But actually OSCE in its current position is not able to solve such a relevant issue. The reasons are obvious – self-interests of particular states or group of states towards the Organization, use of its resources in solving only national or block problems. Finally, the OSCE doesn’t have legal capacity and that is why its potential is quite limited. Given these circumstances it would be rather reckless to give the OSCE complete control over the European security Treaty.
We believe, we need to involve in our dialog on the draft Treaty all multilateral negotiations formats existing in our region. Ideally, the Treaty should be discussed on independent platform with participation of states and international organizations (the EU, NATO, OSCE, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the CIS). Moreover, I would like to emphasize that the draft Treaty has its own importance with regards to the Corfu process being developed in the OSCE’s framework and aimed at increasing Organization’ effectiveness. The Corfu process appeared as a response to Russian initiative on the European Security Treaty and these two processes are interconnected but not replacing each other.
Upon summarizing responses to Russian initiative we anticipate consultations with our partners concerning organization of further subject work, including decision on the optimal negotiation format taking into consideration the potential Parties to the Treaty.
In this respect a meeting of the leadership of the Euro-Atlantic security international organizations – the EU, NATO, OSCE, CSTO and the CIS – would be very beneficial in order to compare the approaches how to establish indivisible security space in the Euro-Atlantic area.
We also assume that the Russian proposal may be used as a basis to develop systematic and constructive dialogue on wide-spectrum of security issues – arms control and confidence-building measures, cooperation between all organizations and actors in the Euro-Atlantic security space, elaboration of common approaches to conflict settlement as well as to counter global security challenges.
Here we can see a common ground for our cooperation with the European Union and promising spheres for joint efforts.
Today certainly it is too early to predetermine the final content of the future European Security Treaty. The most important at current stage – is result-oriented negotiation process where the parties should find common language and agree upon most sensitive issues. That is absolutely essential to improve the atmosphere and to enhance confidence in the region.
