ISTANBUL - NATO Secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said late on Wednesday that NATO's Istanbul Summit in June would have a strong focus on partnerships with the EU, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and the Mediterranean and the wider region, address NATO missions in Afghanistan and the Balkans and take forward NATO's transformation agenda.
Delivering a speech at dinner hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul in honor of him in Istanbul on Wednesday, De Hoop Scheffer said he was very pleased to be in Turkey.
Recalling that his visit to Turkey came only five days after celebration of the 84th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish parliament, Scheffer said he knew April 23 was a very important day in Turkey's modern history, which Ataturk dedicated to the children, the next generations who would further advance the Turkish Republic.
Noting that almost three quarters of a century on, Turkey was indeed a blooming country and a strategically important member of the alliance, Hoop Scheffer said that he had no doubt that next generation would continue to take Turkey even further.
Stating that in exactly two months' time, NATO's twenty-six Heads of State and Government would assemble in Istanbul, Hoop Scheffer said that their summit agenda would be based on two main tracks as outreach to their partners and internal work on their transformation.
''Indeed, the Istanbul Summit will have a strong focus on our partnerships with the EU, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and the Mediterranean and the wider region. It will address our missions in Afghanistan and the Balkans. And to succeed in our ambitions, it will also take forward NATO's transformation agenda,'' he said.
Stressing that the core of NATO remained allied solidarity and collective defense, the Secretary General said, ''but today's threats also include terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional conflicts and failed states. A successful response to them require not only political resolve but also modern military capabilities and flexibility in using forces.''
Giving information on military force at NATO, De Hoop Scheffer said that the demand for NATO was increasing not diminishing because it was the most effective alliance in the world, adding that NATO's credibility was maintained and strengthened.
Stressing that defense planning processes of the allies must be made more responsive to requirements for operations to which they committed NATO politically, Hoop Scheffer said that otherwise, there might be a disconnect between their political ambitions and military means.
Noting that the Istanbul Summit would also approve an enhanced set of measures against terrorism, De Hoop Scheffer said that nobody was fully protected against terrorism and Istanbul had unfortunately experienced it as well. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that the Istanbul Summit was likely to take further decisions to enhance intelligence sharing, to strengthen their response to possible civil emergencies caused by terrorist incidents and to deepen cooperation with non-NATO nations and other organizations.
Noting that NATO's current engagement in Afghanistan was their number one priority and would be high on the agenda at Istanbul, Hoop Scheffer said that they were all aware that their own security was linked to the future of Afghanistan and NATO was currently in process of gradually expanding the international Security Assistance Force (ISAF) beyond Kabul and they were working towards the Istanbul Summit to increase the number of so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams deployed in the countryside.
Hoop Scheffer stressed that NATO's Senior Civil Representative in Afghanistan Hikmet Cetin had an important role and they could not have wished for a better High Representative.
''Turkey, as former lead nation of ISAF, has great experience in Afghanistan. It continues to make important military contributions to the force, which I trust it will retain and perhaps even increase,'' he said.
Regarding the Balkans, Hoop Scheffer said that they had achieved a great deal in the Balkans but their work was not over yet and NATO would stay committed to the Balkans, politically and militarily.
Noting that at Istanbul, they would also strengthen their outreach to and cooperation with their different partners, Hoop Scheffer said that he hoped that they could give further substance to the strategic partnership between NATO and the EU.
De Hoop Scheffer said that NATO and the EU shared many other interests and faced common challenges so they should develop their cooperation and Turkey would benefit from such a close NATO-EU partnership and it could be instrumental in bringing it about.
De Hoop Scheffer stated that at the Istanbul Summit, they would also want to recognize NATO's special relationships with Russia and Ukraine, countries that were of critical importance to security in the Euro-Atlantic area.
''It is critical, also, that we bind NATO's Partners in the strategically important regions of Caucasus and Central Asia closer to us. Turkey's strong historical, cultural and economic ties make it a vital bridge to help project security into these regions. And the Istanbul Summit will refocus NATO's attention in that direction,'' he said.
Stating that the Summit could also strengthen their ''Mediterranean Dialogue'' and reach out to the wider region that some had called the ''Greater Middle East'', Hoop Scheffer said that as the model of a secular and democratic state in the Muslim world, Turkey was particularly well placed to help the international community strengthen it outreach in this direction.
De Hoop Scheffer added, ''NATO is transforming to meet the challenges posed by a new, 21st century security environment. In so doing, it remains a crucial anchor of stability for its own members as well as many other countries in the Euro-Atlantic area. Turkey's role and standing in this transforming alliance have clearly grown and are set to increase still further.''
(MS-AY) 29.04.2004