Speech of the Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek at the NATO Summit in Bucharest on 3rd April 2008

Countries like the Czech Republic remember well the date of invitation and accession to NATO. It was a very significant moment of the transformation process for them and therefore we feel responsibility for further extension of the Alliance. If member countries of NATO mean in fact space of security, freedom, democracy and prosperity, then it is in the principal interest of Russia to enlarge NATO nearer to its frontiers and thus to draw near the space of security, freedom, democracy and prosperity. We are of course for invitation of Georgia to the Membership Action Plan and we are in favour of enlargement of NATO by all the three countries of the West Balkan. The Czech Republic has changed its name four times recently; perhaps it will be possible in case of Macedonia, as well.

NATO has been the most successful defence organization of the planet for nearly sixty years. It is like this thanks to its accent to prevention, to effective anticipation of possible threats. The North-Atlantic Alliance has always known how to detect threats, how to analyse them and how to face them. One of potential threat or rather current threats of these days is a ballistic missiles attack. It was the Prague summit in 2002 which DETECTED that risk and which started work on the Feasibility Study on Antimissile Defence. The study or an ANALYSIS of defence possibilities was accomplished before the Riga summit in 2006. It acknowledged the existence of the threat and recommended to organs of NATO to develop the idea of anti-missile defence. Now, there is a question here how to FACE the threat of missile attack. NATO has a system of the anti-missile defence of a battlefield available, however it does not have an effective defence against medium-range and long-range missiles. The solution is the American third (European) pillar of anti-missile defence.

As you certainly know, we are striving after the installation of that anti-missile shield in the Central Europe. We know that threat, we analysed it, and means how to face it has been offered us. What remains, is to decide whether NATO will accept that third pillar as its own pillar. Whether the Alliance will really use advantage of interconnection of the existing system of battlefield defence with the American anti-ballistic defence and thus confirm the principle of indivisibility of the defence. The relevant organs of NATO, such as the Conference of National Armaments Directors or the Steering Group have confirmed that synergy. The jointed system as a whole may form an effective anti-missile defence for all allies without an exception. Every other hypothetical solution would be more expensive and it would require much time. Therefore, we recommend allies to give the third pillar the green light at this summit. When I was speaking about a concrete threat and corresponding defence means, I must also say where the threat is not present and against whom the defence does not protect us. Russia is not our threat. The radar in the Czech Republic and ten interceptors in Poland cannot form the defence against the Russian missile potential, on no account. Chosen means just correspond to the definition of the threat; I mean the attack with the individual missiles, and these means do not pose any restriction of Russian strategic potential. Russia knows that well, of course, and we believe that ongoing consultations with the USA will bring concrete results, and that Russia will become our ally, not an opponent as far as this issue is concerned. The Czech government has been informing the Russian side on the progress of negotiations and we have never concealed anything. Russia is an important and respected partner in fighting against terrorism for the Alliance. But this fact cannot doubt our ability to detect, to analyse and to face threats. The times are changing and threats are changing as well. What must not be changed is our common will to defend ourselves. Without that will NATO would lose its sense. The Alliance has that will and shows that through the fight against terrorism or through participation in various missions. I believe that it will show it in the sphere of anti-missile defence as well. I thank for reached compromise.