consulate events
Opening Remarks by Ambassador Thomas J. Miller
Tenth Annual Thessaloniki Forum May 24-25
“Redefining Roles and Interests in Southeastern Europe”
I want to thank you very much for inviting me to join you before this distinguished forum today, which over the last decade has brought together political and economic leaders from the region and beyond to Thessaloniki, a city that is playing increasingly a very key role as the gateway to Southeastern Europe.
I also would like to thank the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece and the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce for organizing this very timely conference and I would like to welcome Eric Stewart, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe in the Department of Commerce. I also would like to pay recognition to a very good friend and long time colleague, Matt Nimetz, who, I think we are all fortunate to have here today. Matt has been doing diplomacy at the highest lever of the US Government, as long as I have been a diplomat. This does not mean that Matt is old, but that he just started when he was very young.
This is indeed a period of transformation and redefinition for Southeastern Europe; a transformation that in ten years has seen the region emerge from the ravages of war and ethnic conflict and now is on the threshold, as Stavros Dimas just said, of Euro-Atlantic integration. The historic accession of both Romania and Bulgaria to NATO last month is but one of many testaments to this transformation, as is their path and that of Turkey to EU membership. The Partnership for Peace and the Adriatic Charter have drawn other new democracies in the region closer to the Euro-Atlantic family where they rightfully belong. As President Bush said earlier this month, along with NATO expansion, EU enlargement is helping to "create a Europe whole, free and at peace."
The region indeed is transforming itself. The United States sees its role in this transformation as one of partnership with the peoples of Southeastern Europe. When I was Ambassador to Bosnia, three years ago, I witnessed this transformation and I saw my role as helping the Bosnian people, all of them, Muslim, Croat, and Serb, have more of a common stake in their own future because that in essence is really what it is all about. The United States remains committed to working with our partners in the region and the transatlantic community to consolidate the steps we have seen toward democracy and the rule of law so that the people of Southeast Europe can reap the benefits of peace, stability and prosperity. As I have said, much progress has been achieved in these various areas, through such regional initiatives as the Stability Pact and SECI, the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative, which have contributed to building the foundations of economic and political cooperation and to combating the challenges that we see today of organized crime, of trafficking in persons, of weapons smuggling, of terrorism that are the current challenges in 2004.
The United States recognizes the very critical role that Greece continues to play in these initiatives and in helping effect this regional transformation. During its Presidency of the EU last year, Greece made the Balkans one of its principal areas of focus. It maintains personnel and forces with NATO, the EU, and UN missions in the region, and has embarked on an ambitious program of bilateral assistance totaling well over € 500 billion in the Balkans. We support Greece’s leadership in this regard, and are very anxious to see the results of this very impressive commitment. Greek private investment, and particularly that of Northern Greek industries represented here, has been a motor of economic growth in the region. I would say parenthetically when I was in the States last week and Prime Minister Karamanlis gave a speech in New York -- it was remarkable when he started ticking off Greek investments in the various Balkan countries how dominant Greece is throughout the Balkans in terms of investment.
Thessaloniki is at the center of Greece’s engagement in Southeast Europe. Just last week, the Federation of Industries of Northern Greece and that of Venice sponsored a conference entitled “Business Without Borders” which brought, I understand, 450 enterprises from nine countries representing sectors from agribusiness to textiles, to telecommunications here to Thessaloniki. It is very fitting that the Stability Pact operations in the region are headquartered here in the city. Thessaloniki, is home to SECI’s Business Information and Clearing Center and the European Agency for Reconstruction. The Trade Facilitation Component, which is a U.S. funded project, of the World Bank’s Trade and Transportation Facilitation in Southeast Europe Program is also administered by the American College of Thessaloniki –- and I would note that somewhere in the audience is Richard Jackson, the College’s excellent President. This program has trained more than 3,000 professionals in the transport field in over 85 cities in Southeast Europe; quite an accomplishment.
My country’s commitment and that of Greece and other transatlantic partners, both in the private and the public sectors, has helped, we hope, ensure a stable transition for many of the countries in the region. Newly democratic societies are shaping new institutions, rebuilding their economies and working toward a better future for all of their citizens. However, for peace and prosperity in this historically troubled region, to truly take hold, we cannot afford to be complacent. As Secretary Powell noted on the occasion of the Stability Pact roundtable in Croatia last May, “There has been much progress, but there still remains a good deal of work to be done.” The new democracies of the region must still come to terms with the past and bring war criminals to justice. Refugees and displaced persons must be allowed to return to their homes. And I remember this very well from my experience in Bosnia; while a lot has been done on both these fronts there still is more to be done. Trafficking in human beings, as I said earlier, a practice that exploits the most vulnerable elements of society -- women and children -- must be stopped. For real economic opportunity to develop, corruption and organized crime must be combated and reforms implemented to encourage both trade and investment.
As we move forward and the region is more closely integrated into the Euro-Atlantic family, we cannot afford any backtracking. The flare up in the inter-ethnic violence in Kosovo just a few short months ago reminds us that all is not won and that the progress that has been achieved thus far cannot be taken for granted. The U.S., NATO, the EU, and the UN all condemned this violence in the strongest terms possible and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. As my colleague and good friend Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman said in Pristina during this violence, or right afterwards I should say, “violence is indeed unacceptable and a dead-end for the people of Kosovo and the region.” The violence that we saw in Kosovo underscored the need for swift implementation of the Standards for Kosovo, which were endorsed by the UN Security Council last December. The United States and, I am sure, our transatlantic partners stand ready to assist the people of Kosovo to realize these standards, which envisage “A Kosovo where all, regardless of ethnic background, of race, of religion, are free to live and work and travel without fear, hostility or danger, in which there is tolerance, peace and justice for everyone.”
Before concluding, I would like to dispel one misperception that I have heard in recent months regarding U.S. engagement in the Balkans. Namely that the war on terrorism and the U.S. role in Iraq and Afghanistan have somehow diverted our attention from Southeast Europe. It is true that our relations with the countries of Southeast Europe are evolving and they should; it is true that roles and relationships are being redefined. Indeed, the European Union for one, has taken on additional responsibility for security in Bosnia and that is a good thing. Meanwhile, several of our regional partners, including new NATO members, are contributing troops or other critical resources to the frontlines on the war on terror. But prosecuting the war on terror does not come at the expense of U.S. engagement in Southeast Europe. If anything, the U.S. has an even greater interest ensuring that this region is democratic, stable and prosperous. U.S. assistance to Southeast Europe has totaled half a billion dollars last year, in what we call fiscal year 2003. Eighteen hundred U.S. troops are still deployed with KFOR in addition to police and civilian advisors in Kosovo. U.S. trade and investment in the region is indeed growing. The U.S. is the single largest foreign investor in Serbia with almost $1 billion in cumulative investment and among the top ten investors in Bulgaria. In 2003, the U.S. exports to South Central Europe totaled more than $800 million while imports reached more than $1.4 billion.
In sum, the United States along with our partners in the region and the international community will continue to shoulder its responsibilities. Together with business leaders like yourselves we will continue to do all we can to invest in the future of Southeast Europe.
Thank you very much.