I have the honor of representing Latvia at the Council of Europe at a time when 10 years have passed since our membership. During these years Latvia has become a NATO member and a member of the European Union.
The previous ambassador, Georgs Andrejevs, used to say, "The Council of Europe is the primary stepping stone of the European Union." Since May 1, 2004 more than half of the member states of the Council of Europe are also members of the European Union. This is a new situation for the Council of Europe 's the last time states of the European Union were in a majority in the council was before the "large wave" of expansion at the beginning of the 1990s. It will be some time before both the council and the EU get used to this situation. I believe in mid-term we could reach a situation when the EU does not force her views on the rest of the member states, at the same time not being ashamed of her leading role 's this is not a dominance determined by force, but by values.
The Council of Europe will continue to be the oldest and largest international human rights organisation of Europe. At present, the council has 46 member states, and it is clear that many of these will never join the EU. At the same time, it is in the interests of Latvia that all European countries accept the common values of the Council of Europe 's democracy, respect of human rights and the rule of law.
Following the fundamental guidelines of Latvian foreign policy, it is our duty to tell the council of our history and introduce this institution to the achievements of our country. Since regaining independence, Latvia has achieved much. We have been open to the assistance of experts of the council and her democratic member states in developing democratic institutions. In many areas today, Latvia is ready to transfer her experience to other states that have not yet developed their democracies as far. It is our obligation to share our experience and knowledge of transition from a totalitarian regime to life in a democratic state. During the past 15 years Latvia has amassed huge experience that we can 's and must 's pass on to states experiencing more difficulties than us.
Starting from July 2004 when I took over the baton from Andrejevs, I have had to listen to constant complaints and reproaches from the representatives of the Russian Federation, which are usually expressed in a very offensive and aggressive manner. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that these unjustified assaults might diminish in the near future. I believe that the Russian Federation's moralizing, concerning issues where there is no substantive basis for reproaches and where she has no moral right to reproach us, is to a great extent due to the fact that Russia has not yet reviewed her history. Totalitarianism has left serious distortions in the minds of many Russian people, and as long as these are not honestly and objectively examined, the development of Russia will be agonizing, while others will be forced to listen to Russia's advice on how to live. At that moment, when Russia will admit the fact of occupation of Latvia, it will be easier for her to understand her own history.
It is for this very reason that a careful study of the history of the 20th century is necessary. Latvia must continue, and she will continue, to tell the world of the legacy left on our country by the totalitarian regimes, and, together with our European partners, we must work on evaluating that legacy and eliminating its negative consequences.
In May 2005 the third summit of the Council of Europe will take place in Warsaw in order for the organization to determine the goals for future activities. I believe that in the context of European future, we shall be able to express more elaborately our attitude to the historic events that divided Europe. Sixty years have passed since the fall of the Nazi regime, and 15 years since the collapse of the totalitarian communist regime. Many of the member states of the council have seriously suffered from totalitarian regimes and are still battling the severe after-effects. Therefore, the political declaration of the third summit must refer to both the historic events and to our common values, as well as offer a vision for the future.
In order for the Council of Europe to continue to be a leader in Europe in areas of democracy, rule of law and human rights, the third summit must confirm that the organization is founded on values rather than on realpolitik calculations. At a practical level, the summit must provide political support for the reform of the European Court of Human Rights and the unfailing implementation of the court's rulings. In order for us to develop a safer Europe, the council must be able to find rule-of-law-based solutions for member states to successfully fight corruption, organized crime and trafficking in human beings, as well as new threats: for example, ever more organized forms of terrorism and crimes of information technology.
The Council of Europe is not the only organization attempting to tackle these issues; therefore, at the third summit, the council will need to define areas of cooperation with the EU, OSCE and U.N. The summit must adopt a program of action to help carry out these tasks. Both Latvia and the council have successfully managed to cope with many difficult tasks and challenges, and I am certain that by learning from each other, together we shall be able to form a safer and stronger Europe.
Peteris Elferts is Latvia's ambassador to the Council of Europe
