Above all, we have understood that security is a broad and pro-active concept, and that, for security to last, we must move from safeguarding it to actively promoting it. The Atlantic Alliance acts in accordance with this logic. Each of these initiatives represents another step towards a security architecture, in which challenges are addressed cooperatively and comprehensively. NATO's enlargement process, for example, erases old dividing lines and projects confidence to the democracies to our East. It has also generated powerful incentives for current and future membership aspirants to continue on the path of reform and to tackle bilateral problems with their neighbours.
Enlargement is thus a major instrument to manage change in a cooperative framework.
NATO's policy of enhancing its cooperation with Russia aims at establishing a relationship for the pursuit of common interests as well as a pole of stability when crises occur. By contributing to building a European Security and Defence Identity, NATO helps foster both a more coherent Europe and a more mature transatlantic relationship, where responsibilities are rebalanced. NATO's closer links with other organisations, notably the United Nations, the OSCE, and the WEU, will help achieve coherence in their approaches to new security challenges and reinforce their impact on the long-term shaping of the strategic environment. Together, these initiatives already have changed the security dynamics in Europe for the better. NATO and its partners are keeping the peace in Bosnia, providing the basis for other organisations like the OSCE and the European Union to help with economic reconstruction and lasting political reconciliation.