The final statement issued by the participants in the meeting confirms all the parties' commitment to the CFE Treaty as "a cornerstone of the European security". (The full text of the statement is now available on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website).
The Ministers confirmed their Statement of June 4, 2003 adopted at the Russia-NATO Council session in Madrid and reminded the world audience of NATO's position in respect of granting political guarantees of restraint.
"Calling on all the parties to the CFE Treaty to promote pursuit of this common objective, the participants in the Russia-NATO Council agreed to carry on concerted efforts to ensure ratification of the Agreement on the CFE Treaty Adaptation by all the parties involved and its subsequent entry into force," the statement says.
The Ministers approved the approach to the issue shown by the four new members of the Russia-NATO Council (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia) who are not yet parties to the CFE Treaty. The above states announced their readiness to join the adopted CFE Treaty after the latter goes into effect and agreed that their accession to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe would be a major contribution to European stability and security.
