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The President of the Republic At the Forum of the Heads of State of the Baltic- Black Sea and Caspian Area Kiev, December 2, 200502.12.2005
Democracy and national interest
Honourable Colleagues,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen!
To begin with, I would like to thank President Jushchenko for his initiative to organise today's event. I am very pleased to use this opportunity and congratulate you and the entire people of Ukraine on the first anniversary of the Orange Revolution.
We would like to build an undivided and confident 21st century Europe, which being a tower of strength would help to safeguard and spread democratic values all over the world. We do not need a crumbling sand castle that is attenuated by its internal problems.
Nowadays we talk more and more about democracy and common values. But it seems to me that we often tend to take them as something that comes easily, just like that, or is handed over as an award for good behaviour. We should give more thought to the fact that building up a free and developing society is a continuous process that demands from us great efforts and the involvement of government structures as well as civic associations. And certainly it is not merely the adoption of a constitution.
Democracy in its first stage is like a newly born baby who needs constant support and encouragement from parents. We have experienced it ourselves and today I can assure you that it is not possible to sidetrack Estonia from the road of democracy. Over the last fifteen years we have carried out numerous reforms and have literally educated our citizens. We are ready to share our experience also with other countries that are striving towards the same goals.
Possibilities and ways to help the people in achieving peace, freedom, democracy and wellbeing that not everyone can enjoy even in the 21st century, are rather manifold, but on the other hand - the golden key alone will not help if the locker is empty. Or in other words, it is possible to support and help, but each state and nation itself must have its own desire and readiness to proceed and reach its goals.
It is often thought that democracy equals to free elections that solve all problems. People mostly assume that democracy by itself guarantees economic wellbeing and solves all social problems. However, to reach desired results it is necessary to work consistently and be ready for temporary difficulties and setbacks. We have learned that hoped results cannot be achieved overnight.
The recent elections to local government councils in Estonia showed that the electoral activity has declined. I really believe this to be a temporary phenomenon. The more active part the citizens take in the society and the more open and broader are discussions, the more broad-based are decisions. I believe that it is essential that the citizens would take responsibility to participate also in decision-making process instead of merely following decisions. Only then we can talk of democracy - power of people.
Following the restoration of independence, Estonia set the accession to the European Union and NATO as its foreign policy priority. Today we can confirm that the membership in those organisations serves our national interests. It is a matter of common knowledge that one of the prerequisites for accession to the European Union and NATO is democratically arranged society
The force of gravity that the European Union and NATO have today has stabilising and consolidating impact on the whole continent. At the same time, I would like to underscore that reforms should not be undertaken merely for the sake of the EU and NATO accession. The general rule is that whatever you do, do it for your own wellbeing. And therefore, while introducing reforms we should first of all have in mind our own national interests and goals.
We can debate over whether the occurrence of conflicts and their frequency depends on the degree of democracy. Whether democratic societies are more stable than others? But one thing is certain, we have to establish a mechanism that could preclude the world wars we had last century when regional expansion but not equal partnership was seen as the only security guarantee. The mentality according to which the enhancement of security in one country would pose a threat to the existence of its neighbours has been outdated already for a long time
Good-neighbourly relations are based on confidence. In order to build confidence it is necessary that all parties involved can be sure that everyone will adhere to the same principles and honour agreements. Freedom of speech and free development of civil society in broader sense are inevitable components of democracy that many of us had to learn or learn anew. If the supremacy of democracy is not recognised, there is no hope to have any cross-border confidence nor security and stability guarantees.
Estonia feels deep satisfaction over the progress made by Ukraine. We are always ready to support your reform processes to such extent and in a way that our experience is needed and applicable. We are ready to facilitate the development of democracy in Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with the European Union. It is essential that we treat Ukraine, but also Moldova, Georgia and even Belarus as independent states, respecting their foreign policy choices, and not look at them through the prism of Russia's interests.
The supreme goal of any state should be protection of interests and wellbeing of its people. I am confident that this goal can be achieved through commitment to the development of civil society, guaranteeing of human rights and freedoms, and rule of law. Strengthening of democracy serves our, as well as your national interests. Let us then work together for the sake of guaranteeing security and stability in our countries but also in Europe as a whole and in the world.
Thank you for your attention.
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