16 January 2000

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A Total Balkan Approach By George A. Papandreou

This is an era of dramatic change in Southeastern Europe. In this volatile context, Greece is pursuing a foreign policy aimed at creating greater regional stability, democracy and development. Our policy is based on a simple but fundamental truth: that the interests and wellbeing of the people in our region are aligned with Greece’s principles and policies.

During the recent crisis in Kosovo, Greece undertook a series of diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives to restore peace and stability to our region. These initiatives demonstrated a combination of political responsibility, determination and level-headedness. They also established Greece as a trustworthy mediator during challenging and critical times. However, our actions are not designed to meet short-term goals and immediate needs. Greece has a broader strategy for the region. We believe that our national interests are firmly linked with the overall stability, security, and development of South East Europe.  We are doing our best to ensure that the international community respects the borders and national integrity of every state. At the same time, we are working towards long-term development throughout the region, by helping to strengthen democratic institutions, respect for human rights and international law. Civil society can play an important role in regional reconstruction. Citizen’s diplomacy is a new, dynamic tool through which Greek citizens can shape the future of the region.

Our goal was and is to safeguard our national interests, in such a way that we contribute to the solution of regional problems. We have taken advantage of our dual identity as a member of the institutions of the West, and as a country bound by geography to the Balkans. As the only full member of the EU and NATO in the region, Greece feels a responsibility to represent the interests of our neighbours in these institutions, and to help them prepare for integration into the European framework.

As a result, Greece is now seen as a model for other Balkan countries - a country that succeeded in escaping its past, and opened up the prospect of a European Balkans. We want to give the Balkans a credible voice. We want to establish a broad consensus regarding the future of our peoples, by initiating a dialogue of equals throughout the Balkan peninsula. Ultimately, we want to realise the vision of Greek freedom fighter Rigas Fereos: that, united through common interests and democratic values, the Balkan people can determine their own future.

Greece deserves a leading role in the political and economic reconstruction of the Balkans. This role has been officially recognized with the selection of the northern port city of Thessaloniki, designated headquarters of both the Agency for the Reconstruction of South East Europe and the Balkan Stability Pact.  Many countries - including the USA, the Czech Republic, Italy, Russia, Turkey, France, Great Britain, Germany, and Canada - have sought bilateral cooperation with Greece to implement other Balkan initiatives. Regional leadership creates an advantage, but also new responsibilities for our country. Hellenism is being called upon to define a new vision for the Balkan region - a new vision of peace and democracy for a region that has suffered so much through incessant wars.

Faced with this challenge, Greece has created a comprehensive strategy for the region. A strategy that I term a Total Balkan Approach: a regional approach to democracy, security and prosperity. Our objectives are to control potential sources of conflict, and to create the prerequisites for political and financial development throughout the region. Our ultimate goal is regional integration into European institutions. This strategy is founded upon the principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect of existing borders, and the dissuasion of separatist tendencies and divisive ideologies.  At the same time, we actively promote the establishment of democratic procedures, and the protection of human and minority rights.

If this Total Balkan Approach is to succeed, the international community must develop a consistent, coherent, and unified approach to Southeastern Europe.  We cannot have competing spheres of influence and double standards. Principles and regulations must be applied uniformly. The international community’s approach to the Balkans should be based on fostering democracy, security and development.  Development should focus on programmes that are beneficial to the entire region and promote regional cooperation. Development should also go hand in hand with the building of democratic institutions and the security of minorities in the region. Regional and international cooperation are essential to building consensus regarding individual citizen’s rights to self-determination. The Balkans are peopled by a wealth of minorities. Up until the last century, these minorities were always the source, and very often the victims, of violent conflicts.

The Balkan Stability Pact and the decisions taken at the EU summit in Helsinki, in December 1999, have created a new reality: a framework of principles and a road map for the Balkans, in their course towards European integration. This is why Greece strenuously supported a meaningful candidacy for Turkey, and the improvement of relations between Bulgaria, Romania, FYROM, Albania and the EU. This new framework should embrace Serbia as well.  Excluding Serbia would be inconsistent with our principles of inclusiveness.  Greece strongly advocates a comprehensive, consistent policy that must be carried out within a specific time frame.

I believe that if these Greek principles are implemented everywhere from Cyprus to Bosnia, the road to broader regional security will have opened.  The implementation of these principles will dramatically transform the role and status of minorities.  Once considered a threat and a factor of destabilization, minorities will become a channel of communication and cooperation among peoples and states. They will also enhance the Balkan identity within a multicultural European environment. Only then can the Balkan countries break free from introversion, and carry forward their own cultural proposition within the new Europe emerging through enlargement.

Religious beliefs should not be a cause for conflict. On the contrary, we should try to open channels of communication among them, to develop mutual understanding.  Greece is playing a pioneering role in this field, by pursuing dialogue among religions in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Greece is an important mediator between European institutions and Orthodox Christianity, in view of the future entry of many Orthodox countries into the EU.

This new approach to foreign policy calls for new and innovative forms of diplomacy. I have already mentioned Citizen’s Diplomacy. The non-governmental sector is an essential factor in the Total Balkan Approach, as it creates networks of interaction and cultivates mutual understanding and trust.  Only common interests can establish a common vision for long-term cooperation among all countries of the region.

Strengthening civil society allows our citizens to participate equally in shaping foreign policy. The importance of the role of developmental and humanitarian cooperation was evident during the recent crisis in Kosovo. Whether setting up refugee camps in Albania and Skopje, or distributing humanitarian aid, Greek NGOs made a vital contribution to the stability, security and protection of Balkan populations.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs spends GRD 4 billion every year on developmental aid to other countries.  It funds NGO programmes covering a wide range of activities, such as dealing with humanitarian crises (distributing medicine and food), reconstruction efforts (repairing schools or building hospitals) and building democratic institutions (civil society). Balkan countries are our first priority, followed by the Middle East, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus, where many Greek communities live in conditions of hardship. In 1999, 50% of the GRD 464.5 million given to South Eastern European countries was used to help refugees from Kosovo.  In 1999, in association with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established the first Greek International Developmental Cooperation Agency to support the work of Greek NGOs.

Greece also promotes important initiatives for regional stability and reconstruction through the Balkan Stability Pact. In fact, Greece was the first country to draw up a comprehensive Reconstruction Plan for the Balkans.  Over the next five years (2000 – 2005), Greece has pledged a total of GRD 100 billion for the reconstruction of Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and FYROM.

I strongly believe that, in the ever-changing world of the 21st century, cultural and educational diplomacy should be a vital political priority. Through culture and education, we can fundamentally transform and reform the Balkans. Educational diplomacy will help promote European integration in the Balkans. Educational exchanges among the Balkan countries will be essential to the establishment of peaceful cooperation.

The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens will provide a unique opportunity for cultivating Citizen’s Diplomacy. In a gesture towards our cultural and democratic heritage, Greece has revived an ancient ideal: the Olympic Truce. Our dream is to bring about a global ceasefire, to coincide with the 2004 Athens Olympics. The institution of the Olympic Truce represents one more contribution of Hellenism to promoting world peace in the twenty first century.

We are also introducing a Cultural Olympics – a cultural exchange that will bring together artists, performers, writers, and intellectuals from around the world. Greek values such as democracy, peace, and freedom will play an important role in this exchange of ideas. The 7-million strong Hellenic Diaspora will also contribute to this global cultural dialogue.

Foreign policy reflects a country’s domestic dynamism.  Greece enjoys a vibrant economy and political stability.  However, Greece is committed to continuing its efforts to modernize other fields – such as education, information society, and public administration. These will be essential for Greece’s future role in the region.