Bjørn Tore Godal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway

Statement by Mr. Godal at the Council of the Baltic Sea States

Council of the Baltic Sea States, 4th Ministerial Session, Gdansk, 18 - 19 May 1995

Mr. Chairman,
Permit me first to join others in thanking the Polish presidency for its warm hospitality.

The peoples of Europe have recently joined together in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the greatest conflict in history, the Second World War. Thus, there is symbolic significance in the fact that we are meeting here in Gdansk, not far from the place where a spark was ignited that led to a global fire. Today - in an entirely different era, Gdansk provides a peaceful setting for discussions of regional cooperation. This shows how we are overcoming confrontation and former dividing lines, and seeking to unite our efforts in solving problems that are common to us all.

At the outset, Mr. Chairman, permit me also to welcome the participation of Iceland in this Council.

Mr. Chairman,
We have witnessed positive developments in our part of the world in recent years. Confrontation has been replaced by confidence and cooperation is steadily expanding. In this connection, we are particularly pleased to note the completion of troop withdrawal from Estonia and Latvia, and the development of good neighbourly relations between the members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.

Nevertheless, Norway is still gravely concerned with the war in Chechnya. Renewed efforts must be undertaken to bring the conflict to an end and to promote a peaceful settlement in close cooperation with international organisations, in particular the OSCE.

The adoption of the Pact of Stability in Europe in March this year added another important building block to the new European edifice which we have created in the aftermath of the Cold War. Together with the other members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Norway took part in the negotiations in the Baltic regional table. The constructive and result-oriented work of the Baltic Round Table has benefited considerably from this regional approach.

Similarly, our participation in the Council of the Baltic Sea States and the Barents Euro-Arctic Council has clearly demonstrated the value of regional cooperation. European cooperation and integration are the best ways to strengthen democracy and ensure market-oriented reforms in Eastern and Central Europe. Norway's future is closely linked with that of Europe, and we are prepared to make an active contribution to the joint efforts to create a stable and more secure political and economic environment in Europe.

Today, Europe is undergoing a continuous process of change. This is true of our region as well. It is no longer the threat of a major war that jeopardises the stability of the European continent, but the threats of environmental degradation, poverty, social unrest, unemployment, international crime and extreme nationalism. It is essential that we view security policy challenges in this wider context.

An important cooperative framework for addressing these kinds of security challenges is the European Union. Some of the countries of the CBSS have recently joined the EU, others have concluded Europe Agreements with it. Norway is linked with the EU through its participation in the European Economic Area. The fact that we all have different forms of association with the EU underlines the need to join together in regional cooperation, to the benefit of each individual state and of the region as a whole. This cooperation helps to create mutual understanding, to break down antagonism and to promote friendly relations and peace. Thus, also this Council can function as a meeting place, where different points of view can be combined for a common purpose.

"The European Commission's Orientation for a Union Approach towards the Baltic Sea Region" has the potential of being an important foundation for further development in the region. We also welcome the implementation of the report from the Nordic working group concerning the strengthening of Baltic cooperation.

Mr. Chairman,
Norway recently had the pleasure of receiving the Commissioner of the CBSS on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, including the Rights of Persons belonging to Minorities, Mr. Ole Espersen. We support his important work, which we believe could represent a valuable contribution to the promotion of democracy and the preservation of human rights.

Norway lays particular emphasis on the interaction between the national and subregional levels. The Norwegian delegation to the Ministerial Session this year again includes a representative of the chairmen of our popularly elected county councils - Mr. Ragnar Kristoffersen, Chairman of the County Council of Akershus. It is our view that we should, wherever possible, aim for subregional cooperation between popularly elected representatives on the first administrative level below national governments. This would be a means of obtaining a comparative, "clean-cut" structure.

Subregional cooperation must continue to be one of the pillars of cooperation in the area of the CBSS. We are therefore pleased with the outcome of the subregional follow-up meeting in Travemünde and with the adopted economic programme. However, in our view and with reference to the Stavanger Declaration of 1993, there are still a number of areas that would be well suited to expanded cooperation at the subregional level.

Furthermore, it is the view of the representatives from our counties that subregional cooperation should aim for a broader and more cohesive organisational structure. In this context, the experience of the Regional Council of the Barents cooperation is an example in point. We are aware that the next subregional meeting in Västerås in Sweden will consider the question of organisation. We recognise, of course, that the establishment of a secretariat function, similar to that of the Union of the Baltic Sea Cities, might have financial implications. The question of a secretariat to cover subregional activities could be kept in mind when the Committee of Senior Officials examines the need for and possibilities of establishing such functions at the national level.

Mr. Chairman,
It gives me great pleasure to draw your attention to the ongoing survey of living conditions in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, as well as the Russian districts of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, conducted by the Norwegian Trade Union Centre for Social Science and Research (FAFO) in cooperation with the appropriate authorities in the respective countries. We are of the opinion that a large-scale survey such as this could serve as a tool for the identification of groups requiring particular policy initiatives. All the Nordic countries have considerable experience of conducting surveys of this kind. An outline of the results has already been presented in Latvia and the final reports from this and other surveys are scheduled to be published during the course of this year.

We believe that the results of these surveys could be used constructively in terms of follow-up activities within the framework of the CBSS. Norway would therefore like to invite the member states of the Council, as well as the European Commission, to join forces in exploring the possibilities of using such surveys when formulating social policies. This could provide the basis for cooperation when addressing social problems documented in these surveys.

Last but not least, allow me to join with my colleagues in commending Poland on its able presidency during the last year, and in welcoming Sweden to the Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

---

Lagt inn 24 juli 1995 av Statens forvaltningstjeneste, ODIN-redaksjonen