NATO summit in Madrid 1997
The 1997 Madrid summit took place in Madrid (Spain) from July 8th to 9th, 1997. For the first time Spain hosted the summit of the heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Council .
NATO summit participants (heads of state and government)
Issues and decisions at the NATO summit
With the Madrid decisions, NATO reoriented itself in the European security architecture. As part of the plans for the eastward expansion of NATO , the states of Poland , the Czech Republic and Hungary , which had been part of the Warsaw Pact (terminated in 1991) 6 years earlier, were offered corresponding accession negotiations under Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty , which also provided these three states until the 50th anniversary of the To join NATO in April 1999. The additional offers for accession negotiations to Romania and Slovenia favored by some NATO countries, especially France, have not yet been resolved due to objections from the US government under Bill Clinton ; reference was made to a later consideration.
The conclusion of the military partnership agreement with Ukraine was also significant . The NATO-Ukraine Charter provides for the participation of Ukrainian armed forces in a NATO-led Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF), if they have a mandate from the United Nations Security Council or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is. Since then, Ukraine has also been involved in military cooperation within the framework of the Partnership for Peace (PfP), which is being coordinated by the new Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) as the successor to the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NAKR).
Even before the summit, the basic act on mutual relations, cooperation and security between NATO and the Russian Federation was signed on May 27, 1997 in Paris by the heads of state and government of the NATO states and the Russian government under Boris Yeltsin . The NATO-Russia Council (NRC) was created as a consultation forum . Nevertheless, there were controversial discussions about the planned eastward expansion of NATO. Russia continued to categorically reject this and, as a reaction, planned closer military cooperation with Belarus and the other CIS states.
The development in the crisis region of Bosnia-Herzegovina was another topic. a. the use of the Stabilization Force (SFOR) and the political situation in the Republika Srpska . NATO and the OSCE initially provided diplomatic support to the reform decisions made by President Biljana Plavšić, who has been in office since 1996 . The president, who was also the commander in chief, had dissolved parliament in order to combat the anti-democratic climate and the blockade of constitutional decisions by the army leadership since an internal power struggle had been triggered.
Other topics of the summit was (including the decision of NATO's Strategic Concept of 1991 nuclear strategy ) in terms of security policy changes to check and existing in December 1994 Mediterranean Dialogue with the Mediterranean countries Egypt , Israel , Jordan , Mauritania , Morocco and Tunisia to step up. To this end, which has been specifically Mediterranean Coordination Group (Mediterranean Coordination Group, MCG) was established. Jordan and Mauritania are not directly neighboring countries. Mauritania was included at the instigation of the NATO states Portugal and Spain.
Madrid Declaration
Paragraphs 1 to 4 of the Madrid Declaration on Euro-Atlantic Security and Cooperation:
“ 1. We, the heads of state and government of the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, met in Madrid to shape the new NATO on our way into the 21st century. Substantial progress has been made in aligning the Alliance internally. As an essential step in the evolutionary process of opening up the alliance, we invited three countries to start accession talks. We have substantially strengthened our relationships with partners through the new Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace. The signing of the Founding Act between NATO and Russia on May 27 and tomorrow of the Charter on a strong partnership with Ukraine also bear witness to our commitment to an undivided Europe. We are also about to step up our Mediterranean dialogue. Our goal is to strengthen peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. (...) "
" 2. We are getting closer to realizing our vision of a just and lasting peace order for the whole of Europe based on human rights, freedom and democracy. Looking ahead to the 50th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty, we reaffirm our commitment to a strong, dynamic partnership between the European and North American allies, which has always been and will be the foundation of the alliance and of a free and prosperous Europe. The vitality of the transatlantic link will benefit from the development of a genuine, balanced partnership in which Europe takes on greater responsibility. (...) "
“ 3. While maintaining the core function of collective defense, we have adapted our political and military structures in order to improve our ability to master the new challenges of regional crisis and conflict management. NATO's continued contribution to peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the unprecedented level of cooperation with other states and international organizations in that country reflect the collaborative approach that is key to building our common security. A new NATO is emerging; a new NATO for a new ... Europe. "
"4. The security of NATO members is inextricably linked with the security of Europe as a whole. Improving the security and stability environment of states in the Euro-Atlantic area, where peace is fragile and instability currently prevails, remains an important concern of the Alliance. (...) "
Press release by the NATO Secretary General
On July 8, 1997, NATO Secretary General Javier Solana made the following press release in the presence of the Heads of State and Government:
“Today the heads of state and government agreed to invite the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland to start accession negotiations with NATO. Our aim is to sign the accession protocol during the ministerial meetings in December 1997 and to conclude the ratification process in good time so that the membership of these states will become final by the 50th anniversary of the Washington Treaty in April 1999. We affirm that according to Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, the alliance remains open to new members. The Alliance will continue to welcome new members who are capable of promoting the principles of the Treaty and contributing to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area. The alliance assumes that it will issue further invitations to states in the coming years. NATO will maintain active relations with those states that have expressed an interest in NATO membership, as well as with those states that may seek membership in the future. The nations that have already expressed their interest in joining NATO but have not been invited to start accession talks today will continue to be eligible for future membership. No European democratic state, the incorporation of which would meet the objectives of the treaty, will be excluded from these considerations. In line with our commitment to keep the door open for future membership of the Alliance, we are instructing NATO foreign ministers to keep this process under review and to report back to us. We will review this process at our next meeting in 1999. With regard to the candidate for membership, we pay tribute with great interest and take into account the positive developments in the direction of democracy and the rule of law in a number of south-east European countries, in particular Romania and Slovenia. The Alliance recognizes the need to build greater stability, security and regional cooperation in the countries of Southeast Europe and to promote their increasing integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. At the same time, we would see the progress made towards greater stability and cooperation by the states in the Baltic region who are also aspiring to join. With a view to the future of the Alliance, progress towards these goals will be important to our overarching goal of a free, prosperous, undivided Europe in which there is peace. "