Soereide at 30 BSPC

30TH BSPC: FIRST SESSIONCooperation in the Baltic Sea RegionSpeaker: Ms Ine Eriksen Soreide, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway,Norwegian Presidency 2021–2022 of the Council of the Baltic Sea States(CBSS)Ladies and gentlemen,ParliamentariansThank you for inviting me to the 30th parliamentary conference. Congratulations on 30years of collaboration!Interparliamentary cooperation is of great importance. The Norwegian Storting had thepleasure of hosting the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference in Oslo two years ago.These conferences give us the chance to ‘check the pulse’ of political cooperation anddiscuss opportunities and challenges facing the region. As a parliamentarian myselffor several years, I highly value these dialogue forums.-----------Ladies and Gentlemen,We live in a time of major change and ongoing challenges.The overall security policy situation is shifting. Stronger global political rivalries areemerging, and many global fault lines are widening. The impacts of climate change arematerialising around us. On top of that, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought seriousdisruption to our societies.Various regions of the world are struggling with instability and unrest, exemplified bythe present situation in Afghanistan. Combined with deteriorating living conditions inmany places, the climate crisis means that we must expect, and should prepare for,new and persistent migration challenges.The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a wake-upcall for us all. There is a need for an urgent global response and implementation of thegreen transition. The green agenda must be viewed as an opportunity for our societiesto become more technologically advanced and equitable; as a stimulus for growth, notas a catastrophic burden on our economies and communities.The green transition is possible. Much is already under way. The European Union is aglobal leading force, with the Green Deal and Fit for 55 as major platforms for success.I am hopeful that this will have a positive effect across the entire region.I am, however, more concerned when it comes to the status of democracy and rule oflaw. A weakening of democracy and its institutions also constitutes a threat to ourinternal cohesion. Political and economic success stories in the framework ofEuropean cooperation, and in our individual countries, have unfortunately not alwaysbeen accompanied by increased trust in established political processes. Democracy,respect for human rights and the rule of law are values we must continue to fight for –at a time where fragmentation, distrust and polarisation is on the rise in many countries.We must learn from the past as we focus on the future.There is a great responsibility resting on all of us, especially as political leaders fromgovernments and parliaments. We must work to counter negative trends by supportingcooperation, seeking compromise, and finding common solutions through strong globalgovernance based on agreed principles.----------Despite the many challenges facing us, the Baltic Sea Region is a prosperous region.The 11 countries that make up our region represent an impressive 9 % of global GDP.Eight of our countries are EU members. Trade among these eight and the three non-EU members accounts for about EUR 185 billion annually. This figure is a reflection ofa remarkable level of trade, professional contact and other exchanges. Our region is asuccess. We are probably better positioned to handle the challenges coming our waythan any other macroregion in the world.But we can always do better. And although we are managing well in the security policyarea, I think we can do better there too. I am convinced that the EU and NATO remainkey platforms for ensuring stability, predictability and prosperity for members as wellas their neighbours. The two organisations are of fundamental historical importancefor the whole region.This year, we look back at the events of 30 years ago, when several of our membersre-emerged as fully independent states. Parliamentarians were quick to seize themoment, as were governments. Robust cooperation platforms were established, withprimary focus on practical issues of importance to the region’s citizens.----Norway holds the presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) until Julynext year. On 1 June I took part in the Baltic Sea ministerial meeting, hosted byLithuania as outgoing president of the CBSS. The meeting adopted a new politicalvision for the development of the Baltic Sea Region by 2030.The vision is a distillation of all the good things we aim to achieve in the region, andattaches importance to the rule of law, democracy, equality and inclusiveness, andinvolvement of civil society and young people. The region intends to remain at theforefront of efforts to promote sustainable development, cross-border cooperation andintegration.This document will also guide the work of the Norwegian CBSS presidency, and it willbe important to ensure continuity from the previous presidencies. Our programmetargets innovation and green transformation in industry, transport, energy, and thecircular economy as special themes. We attach importance to nurturing regionalidentity and cohesion, and see great value in expanding cooperation with regional andmunicipal authorities. We intend to build further on the Council’s successful mandateson civil protection, children at risk and trafficking in human beings, with a strong focuson organised crime and cyber crime.The strength of the Baltic Sea cooperation lies in its practical approach to issues,opportunities and concerns shared by 11 countries bound by common internationalcommitments. We should maintain this approach. But at the same time we cannot turna blind eye to the situation unfolding in our neighbourhood. With regard to Belarus,which is also an observer state to CBSS, it is dramatic to see the use of force tosuppress the aspirations and wishes of ordinary people, and to create tension amongneighbours as part of the regime’s survival tactics. The only way forward for Belarus isthrough dialogue and agreement with the opposition ending the violence, release of allpolitical prisoners, and a return to compliance with binding international commitments.I very much regret that Mr Lukashenko is not accepting the assistance that Sweden,as Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, is offering.Ladies and Gentlemen,I would like to conclude with a few words about the importance of including youngpeople.Young people hold the key to the future of the region. We need to hear what our youngpeople have to say as we work to build a resilient Baltic Sea region. Dialogue andcontact between young people help to forge a common identity and mutualunderstanding, as well as create networks that will form a basis for solving commonchallenges in the future.This parliamentary conference had its own youth forum on Friday, focusing on thefuture of democracy, and on climate change and biodiversity. It is vital to engage youngpeople from all our countries in a serious dialogue with us as political leaders, and tolisten to their ideas, fears and hopes. We must encourage their participation and beopen to their insights.Numerous meetings with young people have given me many first-hand experiences ofhow inspiring it is to meet with them directly to discuss topics they are concerned about.The launch of my government’s white paper on the Arctic in November last year wasone such example. We must listen and learn from them as we work to build a greener,prosperous, and more inclusive Baltic Sea Region.Thank you.