Opening message of H.E. Ambassador Hans-Jürgen Heimsoeth. International Conference “Black Sea Area – From Interaction Strategy to Regional Co-operation and Security System”

Distinguished Mr. Director of the National Institute of International Security Problems

Dear Mr. Chrobot,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

it is  a great pleasure for me to address you on the occasion of the International Conference „Black Sea Area – from Interaction Strategy to Regional Cooperation and Security System“.

The Black Sea Cooperation is of utmost importance. During the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the reinforcement and deepening of the Black Sea Cooperation was one of our top priorities in the framework of European Neighbourhood Policy. And it has  remained a top priority.

The main element of the European Black-Sea initiative is to encourage practical, result-oriented co-operation in all areas of cross-border relevance, such as Energy, Environment, Transport, Migration, and the fight against organised crime. I would like to especially underline the importance of  the sectors of Infrastructure, Scientific Cooperation and Energy Security, as pointed out by German Federal Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier when participating at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the EU and the Black Sea Region hosted here in Kiev on February 14^th .

Black Sea Co-operation goes even beyond the areas of practical co-operation. The Black Sea Region connects, regions of considerable importance for European security. We have to build bridges that connect the partners. As a matter of fact, what we need is not one bridge, not five, not ten bridges, but a network of bridges. As I was myself the Chairman of the committee of Senior Officials of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, I know how important it is to create a network and how many steps and partners are necessary to finally come up with a self sustaining regional cooperation which has to be the basis of a stable security system.

As the organisers of today's Conference pointed out, they had planned this meeting a long time ago without any reference to the most recent events in the Caucasus. However, these events show how important the key subject of this Conference can be.

I just had the opportunity to attend this year's meeting of all German Ambassadors in Berlin, known as “Ambassadors' Conference”. There, key priorities concerning the recent developments were addressed, including Black Sea Cooperation.

It is clear that we must intensify the European Neighbourhood Policy in relation to the east. The EU and the countries of the southern Caucasus are neighbours. We therefore have a vital interest in stability and security on the European Union's eastern flank, above and beyond assisting with reconstruction in Georgia. The European Union can and – we hope – will do more. The EU can make use of the instruments which it itself created years ago, for instance the European Neighbourhood Policy, or the Black Sea Cooperation established during the German Presidency, very specifically to create stability in this area, not least by means of economic assistance.

Our aim must be to view Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Moldova as integral elements of a European area of security, stability and prosperity. To continue modernization and transformation of these countries is a key concern of the European Union. Our overall strategic vision aims at linking these countries closely and on as many levels as possible with the EU. We should integrate all these initiatives on the basis of the European Neighbourhood Policy – this would  produce a new strategic impulse for the stabilization and transformation of the entire region.

In the long term we should adopt an approach which we have pursued for years in the western Balkans. Namely: thinking in terms of the stability of regions. We need a strategic framework which stabilizes and transforms the region of the Caucasus, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea on the basis of the ENP.

This is why Minister Steinmeier has been supporting a recent Turkish initiative and let me quote him: “An initiative which is designed to kick-start a long-term process working in conferences over several years towards a stability concept for the southern Caucasuswhich includes all the countries of the region. A stability concept which assumes that Russiawill be a part of it in the long term too.”

There is no question that in our view we need Russia's constructive contribution in the region as the co-builder of a pan-European order of security and peace and as a participant in tackling global challenges. The current crisis in the Caucasus must not be allowed to blind us to the fact that both sides have much to gain from close cooperation: for instance, in joint efforts to ensure energy security and efficiency, in the development of a transcontinental transport infrastructure or in the field of education and science. We must be clear in our minds that Russia too has a great deal to lose if the crisis causes the lasting disruption of our cooperation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I highly welcome that German Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation decided to support this conference – a conference dealing with an issue which Germany had highlighted as one of her priorities during her Presidency of the European Union. And a topic which remains in the forefront of our interest. Let me express our hope that today's conference will further highlight the necessity of a constructive understanding of the Black Sea Co-operation and contribute to deepen our knowledge of the perspectives in the fields of cooperation like energy and transport, as well as transborder cooperation and security issues. Starting from an action-orientated approach on technical issues, co-operation among all partners in the region will be growing. Such a positive co-operation environment will also contribute to a better understanding on more complex policy levels.

Thank you for your kind attention.