FM Paet: The Importance of Europe-USA Co-operation Has Grown Rapidly
08.09.2008
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in the Gymnich informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Avignon, France on Friday, 5 September.
The foreign policy leaders discussed the future of relations between the European Union and the United States of America. Foreign Minister Paet stated that intensive and effective co-operation between the European Union and the USA is the cornerstone of European and worldwide security. “Looking at Russia’s aggression against Georgia, it is clear that co-operation between Europe and the USA has become even more important,” noted Foreign Minister Paet. He added that together we must find an effective way to influence Russia to act responsibly. “Intense co-operation must also be done with the USA to support nations in Eastern Europe,” said the Estonian foreign minister.
According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, after visa freedom is implemented between the USA and European nations, the next step could be a Schengen visa area that also includes the USA.
Within the context of transatlantic relations, co-operation opportunities with the Middle East were also discussed. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that in order to build up the police force in Afghanistan, co-operation must take place between the European Union police mission (EUPOL) and the corresponding individuals in the USA. “Since the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s border areas and the resulting security situation are inevitably tied, the efforts of both of those nations plus the European Union and the United States must be integrated and equal,” Paet added.
High Representative for the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana was there to introduce ideas for improving the EU’s security strategy to the foreign ministers. In talking about European security strategy, the foreign ministers agreed that in the light of the events in Georgia, the EU must update its assessments to reflect changed circumstances. “The strategy must give answers as to how to avoid potential conflicts like the one in Georgia,” stated Urmas Paet. The foreign minister added that when updating the strategy, more attention must be paid to many important matters: unresolved regional conflicts in the neighbourhood around the EU, energy and cyber security, and making Europe-USA co-operation more effective, while also advancing EU-NATO co-operation for resolving security issues.
The informal meeting of the European Union foreign ministers will continue on Saturday, when discussions will include developments in Georgia and EU-Russia relations. They will also address the situation in Belarus and Ukraine and the Middle East peace process.
Gymnich is the 2-day informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union which gets its name from the Gymnich castle near Bonn, where the first meeting of its kind took place.
