A substantive document on CSBMs has also been adopted. We have signed a Joint Declaration on Peaceful Relations between the Allies and the Soviet Union and the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe which affirms our desire for a co-operative partnership. The Soviet Union and the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe have established regular diplomatic liaison with the Alliance, permitting a useful interchange of information and views. A regular sequence of high level exchanges by senior political and military officials has been established, symbolised by visits to NATO by elected leaders of Central and Eastern European nations and the Secretary General's visits to Moscow, Prague, Warsaw and Budapest. Having worked to overcome past divisions, our countries must now direct their efforts to avoiding grave economic disparities becoming the new dividing lines on the continent.
All countries have the right to exist in security.
In the midst of change, tendencies towards greater insularity must be resisted. We seek to spread the values of freedom and democracy that are at the heart of our transatlantic partnership so that past labels of East and West no longer have political meaning. The Alliance remains essential and has a vital role to play. Today more than ever before, security and stability cannot be achieved by military means alone. The Alliance will be essential both as the link between the security of North America and that of Europe and as a framework for broad co-operation among ourselves.