Speeches 

LT  FR

Address by Arûnas Valinskas, Speaker of the Seimas At the Commemoration of the 60th NATO Anniversary and the 5th Anniversary of Lithuania’s NATO Membership


Dear Guests,

Excellencies Ambassadors,

Dear Colleagues,

 

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Seimas to mark the date which, I believe, is the most important date to our region – on the 29th of March Lithuania will see the 5th anniversary of official coming into force of the North Atlantic Treaty. Our state together with the other six Central and Eastern European Countries gained its NATO membership, which translated not only into Lithuania’s greater safety (provided by Article 5 of the Treaty) and the air policing mission to the Baltic States, but into Lithuania marking NATO’s 60th anniversary as an equal partner involved in the developments of the democratic community of the Alliance, building and securing its future. 

 

Lithuania’s road to its current status has been a long one. The tragic history of our nation, its fierce fight for freedom in the last century has only recently got a new assessment on the highest state level: our independence, defended by the unity of our nation and its blood spilled, was restored only two decades ago. The aspirations at an independent and democratic republic were confirmed at the national referendum on 9 February 1991. With the alien army still in Lithuania, defending its fragile independence was an issue.

 

Parliamentary diplomacy became one of those instruments to draw the attention of the international community to the situation in the Baltic States. Even though the dialogue started immediately after the 11th of March (let me recall the 1st seminar held by the then North Atlantic, now NATO Parliamentary Assembly, “Baltic States Security Needs” in Vilnius in December 1991) when our parliament building still lived with sand bags. The meetings with Western colleagues then heard Lithuania’s clear decision: cooperation with NATO to get the guarantees of political security. The eye-witnesses know best the temperature of the discussions, with the leaders of the Soviet Army for the Baltic Region present there, while we can judge about it from the eloquent fact that as a result, unexpected to all the participants of the seminar, the gate to the Soviet military camp in the northern part of Vilnius was opened to foreigners for the first time. That might have been a turning point in the decision-making about the withdrawal of the foreign army from the territory of our sovereign state. On the other hand, that was a clear message heard by western MPs and governments. The letter by the NATO Secretary General, Manfred Wörner, to the Chairman of the Supreme Council – Reconstituent Seimas, Vytautas Landsbergis, after his visit to Vilnius in March 1992 runs, “I left Vilnius with a clear idea of the main issues and difficulties now facing your country and with the conviction that the determination of your people to support independence, freedom and democracy, is the best guarantee to successfully overcome the present difficulties.”

 

On 5 October 1993 the Lithuanian political parties approached the President of the Republic concerning the integration of the Republic of Lithuania into NATO. The parties declared, “the new political situation of Lithuania after the withdrawal of the foreign army needs a clear position of the political forces based on agreement and confidence on the strategic matters of Lithuania’s policy, which should be the framework for the national policy. (…) Lithuania, not integrated into the collective defence system, is not safe. Therefore together with the Central European states Lithuania needs to join the Western European defence organisations.” They claimed that Lithuania should express, on the top level, its wish to join NATO. That accord was a landmark in our traditional consensus on the key issues of our political life – something to be proud of.

 

Lithuania’s road to NATO was a long one and sometimes painful too. Lithuania started developing the national defence system from scratch when the fundamental change was taking place in the society against the background of financial shortages. Each had and still has to work hard and learn to be an equal partner of the Alliance. Were there any other choices when the citizens’ mandate and decision were clearly expressed and when the opinion polls showed the “unmistakable YES”?

 

Having reached one of its strategic foreign policy goals, its fully-fledged NATO membership, Lithuania declared by way of the Seimas Resolution of 1 May 2004 that it “will seek to: become an active country, visible in the world and influential in the region; aware of the global character of threats in the modern world to take an active part in counteracting them”. It also declared that Lithuania “will seek that the Alliance would continue to be a viable and strong organisation of collective defence and security; will support the open door policy and seek to promote the dialogue and practical cooperation with the partner countries. The unofficial meeting of the NATO foreign affairs ministers in Vilnius in a year’s time started an intensive dialogue on Ukraine’s aspirations at NATO membership and the related reforms. Today we welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia, who will take the floor in a few minutes to tell us about the contribution of the aspirant countries into strengthening the Alliance, which is the proof that NATO’s and our mission is not over yet.  

 

The programme of the incumbent Lithuanian government, approved by the Seimas, highlights national security from any external threat that might arise from the policies of other nations, support for democratic development in the geopolitical environment of Lithuania, promotion of democratic values in the sphere of international relations, and achievement of a favourable external environment for the country’s safe existence. The programme also emphasizes the continuity of the traditional framework of values of the Lithuanian foreign policy based on faithfulness to freedom and democracy, and the principles of truth, justice and international law. 

 

We face totally different challenges to security today – fighting terrorism, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, fraud, and cyber crime, as well as unstable countries as a source of threat. The Alliance is looking for new possibilities of maintaining security. I our view, whatever the threats, it’s crucial to never forget that the success of the Alliance lies in loyalty to collective defence.  

 

We ask ourselves today how we, parliamentarians, can contribute to global security and solidarity. What is our contribution into democracy development, personal freedoms, rule of law, and other values, as well as peaceful conflict settlement in the Euro-Atlantic area? How can we together with the members of the other 25 parliaments be better involved into fundamental solutions which have an impact on the national security of the NATO member countries and the future of the whole democratic world for those solutions to be more understandable and transparent, for a closer link between NATO and its societies to be promoted, and for support for the NATO policies to be ensured. Lithuania finds that the development of the trans-Atlantic link and mutual dialogue is the most important element. We shall contribute to a stronger consensus among the Alliance members. We are building our future and security together.  

 

Fellow MPs and dear guests,

Taking this opportunity, I wish to thank all those who have done their bit to nearing Lithuania’s NATO membership and deepening its engagement by their words and deeds, ideas and understanding. My special thanks go to you, the Lithuanian military staff, who risked your lives and took or are taking part in the important missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Georgia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. God bless you.

 

Thanks for your attention and good luck.





© Office of the Seimas
HOME