Regional Co-operation. A Romanian View
10.05.2009 Tipareste Trimite prin email
At the 12th Marmara Summit in Istanbul May 7, 2009
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you very much for inviting me in this prestigious international event, aiming to create bridges of understanding, awareness and trust between us, and to offer priceless contributions and analyses that could help us in writing the future of our region and of our continent.
The events of the last years that have taken place in South-Eastern Europe, the Black Sea Region and Southern Caucasus have made it abundantly clear how important it will be for the international system to find answers to what is perceived today as a crisis of means, a crisis of institutions, a crisis of resources, a moral crisis and, more recently, an economic crisis. It is only by solving these crises together that we will be able to build a future in which the strength of the Law will prevail over the use of force.
Over the past decades, what is commonly called the wider Black Sea region has undergone a number of significant changes affecting not only the countries bordering on the Pontus Euxinus proper, but many other regional and even global powers as well. Traditional powers bordering on the Black Sea such as Russia or, by the way Turkey, have recently been striving to carve out a new role for themselves, and actors such as the United States or the European Union have entered the stage. Relations between Russia and the European Union, as well as between Russia and the USA have always been complex and occasionally complicated. As a result of this variable political geometry, local, regional and global interests are sometimes considered difficult to reconcile. This is why countries like yours or mine, geographically related to the region, have a major role to play in the consolidation of regional co-operation. Searching for equilibrium is the natural tendency of each entity. The rational alternative to confrontation is to initiate a politically negotiated and conducted process including all interested global, regional and local actors at every stage.
To be sure, identifying solutions is a complex and difficult process. In order to succeed, it should be our main goal to defend the principles and values we believe in. After the unfortunate historical experience our countries have undergone in the last half century, I firmly believe that the international system of the future should ensure prosperity for as many people as possible, stability and predictability, security and peace. The effective rules governing the international system and, especially our region, should also ensure the preservation of ecological equilibrium.
An important dilemma in my country is how to enforce the professionalism of institutions and how to use the talent and effort of individuals for the benefit of the country they serve and not for their own benefit. For that, it is crucial to cultivate generosity, professionalism, a sense of duty and competence, and to encourage and value dignity and ethics in public institutions and in public life.
At the regional level, in such a complex part of the world, composed by so many cultures, different traditions, religions and confessions, the most important dilemma is: do we want our future to be guided by our emotional reactions to the burdens and challenges of history, our by rational principles and political good will?
I spent 30 years of my life, under a communist regime, believing that what I needed was freedom and democracy, prosperity and respect for human rights. I still believe in these priceless values. But the last 20 years of the post-communist era have made me understand that the solidity of a long lasting society, in our countries and in the region as a whole, relies also on values such as generosity, professionalism, a sense of duty, kindness and love, and the power of personal example.
