Liberal International 53rd Congress “Freedom and Security” Sofia, 12-14 May 2005
Panel Discussion on “Security in the Black Sea” 13 May 2005
THE BLACK SEA REGION: ENCOURAGING HESITANT LIBERAL BEGINNINGS
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Addressing this audience is a particular pleasure for me. In my capacity of Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs I get to talk mainly about policies and politics. Today, I get to talk to like—minded people about ideas and the political energy that derives from them. I am grateful for this opportunity.
Many have sought to define liberalism away as belonging to a bygone era. Many have asserted that it is no longer relevant in international affairs. Yet another group purports that “real politik” is all there is in a brutal world of naked power. But we would be short-sighted and lacking in political imagination if we failed to grasp the emerging dynamics of a Black Sea Region just catching the contagion of liberalism.
The liberal revolutions of 1989 have now come to bear their fruit making an enormous contribution to the fostering of an excellent regional framework of cooperation. This is the historical response to the proponents of raw power in international relations, this is a demonstration of the power of ideas in the contemporary world. In many ways, the Black Sea Region is a contemporary, important reminder of the power of freedom and its continuous appeal to societies of diverse social, political and cultural histories. We must ensure its success through active and sustained engagement. Our regional approach will be of little long-term impact if it would be defined by the occasional flurry of democratic energy. We need a structure and the political will to make it a success. The Liberal International has the will, the capacity and the legitimacy to perform this role.
Liberalism sees obstacles to freedom beyond the threats of outright tyranny. A tyranny of insecurity and half-reforms is as damaging as that of a totalitarian past. In this regard, engagement with the EU and NATO has been an important, often decisive, contribution to the processes of change and reform in Central and Eastern Europe. An international liberal agenda for the Black Sea Region should place at its core solidarity in reform. It is beyond doubt that building successful liberal democracies in this region will require much patience, effort and direction from these crucial international actors. The signs here are encouraging. NATO the EU and the OSCE are all busy working out appropriate approaches and strategies.
Continued political and economic reforms will further establish and strengthen the bases of democracy and market reform. Supporting civil society in the countries of the region is the only viable long-term strategy for the enhancement of freedoms. No liberal democracy can survive without a vibrant, activist and forward-looking civic body. As an organization, we ought t extend our support not simply to states and their institutions but to citizens and their communities.
The security challenge in the region is imposing. Various forms of trafficking, large gray economies, expanding organized crime and corruption are simply expressions of the scale of this challenge. States in the Black Sea area are beginning to address these problems, yet, strategies, policies and programmes often leave out an important consideration. We know from own experience that no plan to tackle security problems will be successful without a human, individual dimension. Indeed, this is an important liberal contribution to the notion of security that is long overdue. No scheme will be of use unless it addresses the security needs of the individual citizen as it seeks to establish secure environments in which individuals pursue their life plans.
We will be not able to address the larger security challenges unless we ensure the creation of effective democratic institutions and functioning market economy, which provide opportunities, generate wealth and establish civic solidarity. It is in this way that reform is crucially linked to security; it is in this way that success in reform will translate in success in tackling the security problems to the benefit of all. These measures are predominantly about anchoring democratic and effective states. But they are also about assisting citizens and their communities. Security is about anchoring human hope in strong democratic and market institutions and liberal practices; it is about assisting the development and strengthening of citizen communities of initiative and self-reliance.
I began my speech with an observation. Let me conclude with a proposition. The Black Sea Region is among the most diverse, being on the edge of Europe. On April 25th 2005, the EU reached the shores of the Black Sea. It is also a region, which poses a stark choice for its constituent states, societies and the international community. Do we go down the path of exclusive, divergent national strategies or do we strive to establish a common framework for development, which is based on common values and interests? Do we emphasize past national glories or do we look for common development paths of international cooperation? I would propose that, without supplying exclusive policy and political recipes, liberalism does provide a basis for making the right choice. Moreover, the key tenets of international liberalism are a powerful intellectual and political force for change in the region. In a global and interdependent world embodying many of its values, the Liberal International is very well positioned to make a difference and extend further liberty and prosperity. In my view, it must not waste any time in doing so. We need a Black Sea agenda, which is not defined by threats and dangers. We need an agenda, which embodies liberal hope and solidarity.
