Opening of the 11th CBSS Ministerial Meeting

 
 
Prime Minister Kasyanov, Foreign Minister Ivanov, Governor Egorov, distinguished Foreign Ministers from the Baltic Sea Region, CBSS-Commissioner, EU-Commissioner, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
I am honored and delighted by Foreign Minister Ivanov’s and his colleagues’ kind invitation to speak here in Svetlogorsk today marking the first 10 years since the launch of the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
 
Only few times in a lifetime does one realize that history is in the making.
 
Hans Dietrich Genscher and I were in no doubt about the significance of the moment back in 1992.  We had managed to gather in Copenhagen the Foreign Ministers from all the Baltic Sea countries for the first time around the same table and thus launching the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
 
This followed some of the most decisive years in the history of the Baltic Sea Region: the unification of the two German states, the return of independence to the three Baltic countries and the dissolution of the Warsaw pact.
 
Today – ten years later – the CBSS has indeed proven its strength and importance. And we are once again faced with historic decisions in the Region; enlargement of the EU with the Baltic countries and Poland and – I am confident - enlargement of NATO with the three Baltic countries. As a true believer in Baltic Sea cooperation I see this not only as historical moments but certainly as important contributions to the economic development and stability of the Region as a whole.
 
Allow me to share with you my vision – or wild dreams -for the next ten years of Baltic Sea Cooperation:
 
- I envision the Baltic Sea Region as the new cultural and economic hot spot of Northern Europe; a coherent region where no country is lagging far behind.
 
Already today the Baltic Sea Region is one of the fastest growing, outward looking and promising regions in Europe and indeed in the world. Its combined GDP of 3.500 billions dollars is about 80 percent of that of Japan. EU-membership of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland will strengthen this potential.
 
- I envision a single market for goods, services, capital and persons within the Baltic Sea Region
 
I suggest as a first step that a so called Baltic Sea Economic Space be established. This is very much in line with President Putin’s statement last year. He said that ”Russians will gradually be building up Russia and Russian economic life according to the rules which are in operation on the continent of which Russia is an alienable part”.
 
- I envision a greener and less polluted environment in and around the Baltic Sea.
 
HELCOM has already done a lot - supported by the CBSS - but more resources from all member states’ budgets ought to be allocated to this end.
 
- I envision the launch of a common brand – a clear identity or trademark - for the Baltic Sea Region.
 
Our Region should be as well known and as clearly recognized as The Mediterranean, Scandinavia or the Benelux. We initiated a debate about this challenging topic at the 3’rd Baltic Development Forum Summit in St. Petersburg last year. I trust the CBSS will follow it up.
But my vision would not be complete without a dynamic Northwest Russia, economically and commercially fully integrated in the Baltic Sea Area. At an international conference in Copenhagen earlier this year I stressed the need to make 2002 the year when partnership between the EU and Russia took a more substantial form. This should be done in parallel with the enlargement of the EU. We would all gain from this.
Specifically I would urge Moscow, Brussels and Kaliningrad Oblast to work closely together with a view to develop this important and challenging part of the Russian Federation. The potential for trade and tourism is obvious. The CBSS is in a unique position to move the discussion forward. In my capacity as chairman of Baltic Development Forum I shall take a keen interest in this question and we stand ready to assist in the process.
Therefore to complete my optimistic scenario for the Baltic Sea Region:
- I envision that Kaliningrad Oblast by 2010 is a vibrant cultural and economic centre with flourishing tourism and intensive commercial and civic links with the rest of the Baltic Sea Region.
 
History will be severe on us if we do not seize this moment to complete the creation of a coherent and stable environment around the Baltic Sea Rim. Important prerequisites to success in this connection would be fiscal incentives for foreign investments, efficient combat of organized crime, a smooth conversion of the excellent military staff into new civil jobs and last but not least good international flight connections to the Oblast
Let me end by congratulating you, distinguished Foreign Minister Ivanov, and all your able staff on an excellent year in charge of the CBSS-cooperation. The horrible terror attacks in the U.S. on September 11’th and subsequent developments have proved the need of a genuine partnership also in our Region. A CBSS ministerial meeting in Kaliningrad Oblast – formerly an area of secrecy and tension between East and West - is a symbolic proof of how profoundly our partnership has evolved.
I wish the Council of the Baltic Sea States all the best in its future work which I deeply respect and admire. I do hope and believe that my visions for the Baltic Sea Region have materialized if you invite me again in 2012. I will accept the invitation with pleasure !   
 
Finally let me say that I hope to see many of you to the 4th Baltic Development Forum Summit which this year takes places in Copenhagen, 13-15 October.
 
Thank you !