Together under one blanket

NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson was in Vilnius for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Mark Taylor of The Baltic Times caught up with him for a quick Q&A.

The Baltic Times: What do you expect from this sitting of the assembly?

Robertson: I expect the parliamentarians to be as wise as they always are.

TBT: How ready do you think the Baltic states are for NATO membership?

Robertson: They are making good progress, as are the other six countries, but there is over a year to go until the Prague summit. There is still some time left.

TBT: Do you think there will be invitations next year at the Prague summit?

Robertson: Yes, I do. However, the heads of states and other leaders of the alliance attending the summit next year will make that decision. We'll see.

TBT: How are the concerns of Russia being addressed regarding enlargement and missile defense?

Robertson: We have a partnership with Russia. We have a permanent joint council that meets every month at an ambassadorial level and four times a year at a ministerial level. We have an ongoing dialogue with Russia on a whole series of issues including missile defense - the American ideas on missile defense and the Russian proposals on missile defense.

So we're engaged in dialogue and addressing concerns. Of course, on enlargement we want to talk to the Russians and assure them that it's not a threat to their national security or their national interests. It will actually add stability and security, as it has in the past.

We are open to discussions with the Russians and there have been some discussions already. However, nobody can have a veto over decisions taken by NATO as an organization, nor do I think that Russia wants to have a veto.