Cathy writes to Anders Fogh: let's strengthen our ties
They never leave each other! Anders Fogh and Cathy. Cathy and Anders Fogh. They saw each other in Brussels last week. They meet on Friday in Lisbon (1)... And when they don't see each other, they write to each other...
The High Representative of the EU has just written to her alter ego at NATO to assure him of the desire to strengthen the links between the 2 organisations. Approach consistent with the mandate it received from the 27 at the European Summit in September (2). The two organizations are indeed present on certain common grounds such as Kosovo, Afghanistan, the Somali coasts and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the text that I have been able to read, Cathy Ashton entrusts the "great importance" which it attaches to the development of EU-NATO relations. A series of "concrete proposals" were presented last February, including regular meetings at several levels (3). And joint work was decided on two practical subjects: medical support for operations and homemade bombs (IED). The objective is also that the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL) works in "close cooperation" with the NATO training mission for training civilian police.
Building a relationship of trust around Turkey and Cyprus
But the main problem that weighs on the two organizations remains to be resolved: the lack of relations between Turkey and Cyprus. Rather prickly. As Cathy Ashton says "We both have the ambition to do more and must work closely with Cyprus and Turkey to identify all possible paths on both sides.".
The idea, according to someone familiar with the matter, is to undertake a work of "trust building" (confidence building) between the two enemy countries. And to find little by little the ways of reason. Or as Cathy Ashton writes, "Our objective is to find practical solutions to the broad structural problems which have hindered the development of 'a genuine organisation-to-organisation relationship between the EU and NATO without discrimination between NATO allies and EU member states'. effort and on the other none, as one had the impression listening to Rasmussen, rather prolix on the question (3).
(1) Cathy Ashton indeed participates in the NATO meeting followed by an informal dinner of Foreign Ministers
(2) Cathy will receive a mandate from the “27? to negotiate with NATO
(3) Read also:
