What democracy achieved for Romania, democracy will succeed for the whole of Southeastern Europe. Wide cooperation is needed for this process to be lasting and quick-paced. It could equally fail if Russia rejects it and sees it as a threat. Contrariwise, a democratic Russia can be an important actor in this project. These three battles must be won together, or there will be on victory at all.
Victory means first and foremost security.
Only the consolidation of NATO's Southern flank, through the soonest extension of an invitation for Romania, Slovenia and Bulgaria to become full members of the Alliance, can assure it in the long term. It is safer for NATO, and safer for the whole region, to have the Alliance firmly implanted in the region. For our countries, which assumed the same risks of any member state, without the guarantees and benefits of actual membership, a deadline after 2002 seems an unfair and remote prospective. Last, but not least, this must be an economic plan. This plan should be comprehensive, and take into account both emergency operations, seeking to rebuild the destroyed areas, to restore navigation along the Danube and the Danube's ecosystem, and long-term perojects, seeking to lay the foundations for lasting economic cooperation.