Joint statement by Presidents of Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Joint statement on Georgia-Russia War by Presidents of Poland,
Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania
August 9, 2008

Georgia Update, a Service of the Government of Georgia

We, the leaders of the former captive nations from Eastern Europe and
current members of the European Union and NATO– Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania and Poland – are extremely concerned about the actions of
the Russian Federation against Georgia.

We strongly condemn the actions by the Russian military forces against
the sovereign and independent country of Georgia.

Following the unilateral military actions of the Russian military
forces, we will use all means available to us as Presidents to ensure
that aggression against a small country in Europe will not be passed
over in silence or with meaningless statements equating the victims
with the victimizers. To this end we intend to urge our governments to
take the following positions in discussions and to raise these
concerns in the European Union and the North Atlantic Council:

Can the current Russian authorities be called adequate strategic
partners of the EU;
Can the family of European democratic countries pursue a mutually
beneficial dialogue with a country that uses heavy military armour
against an independent country;
It is pointlessness to continue a “visa facilitation” program with
a country that does not meet even the minimal requirements set by the
EU and which uses visa facilitation to issue Russian Federation
passports to foreigners and then abuses this EU given privilege to
claim intervention rights such as “we are protecting Russian
citizens” in South Ossetia.
The actions of the Russian Federation in Georgia should influence the
talks with the Russian Federation, including negotiations on the new
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
We underline the obvious bankruptcy of Russian “peacekeeping
operations” in its immediate neighbourhood. The Russian Federation
has overstepped a red-line in keeping the peace and stability in the
conflict zone and in protecting Russian citizens outside its own
borders.

The EU and NATO must take the initiative and stand-up against the
spread of imperialist and revisionist policy in the East of Europe.
New international peacekeeping forces should be created as the current
setting proved to be ineffective.

We regret that not granting of the NATO’s Membership Action Plan
(MAP) to Georgia was seen as a green light for agression in the region.

We believe that the EU and NATO as the key organizations for European
and Transatlantic stability and security should play a leading and
crucial role in securing freedom, security and prosperity of countries
not only in the EU but also in the neighboring European area.

It a litmus-test for the credibility of the EU and NATO to solve the
conflict in its immediate neighborhood and to prove for all EU and
NATO members, aspirant countries and democratic partners that it is
worth being members and partners of these organizations.

This Declaration is open for the accession by the leaders of other
democratic countries.

President of the Republic of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves
President of the Republic of Latvia Valdis Zatlers
President of the Republic of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus
President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczy?ski

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

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