In the name of our respective peoples, we declare that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania both separately and together are committed to the following principles in their pursuit of security and peace:

First, we seek to live in peace and friendship with all our neighbours and with all the nations of Europe.

Second, we believe in the principles of collective security. We do not want to see new lines drawn in Europe and we do not want to see any grey areas created where conflicts may arise as the result of misunderstandings.

Third, we seek to provide for our security both through our own efforts and through membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as soon as possible. And we seek the clearest statements possible about the security of the Baltic States.

To these ends, we announce today the following steps: First, we are launching an intensified diplomatic effort to gain the support of all countries for our security via NATO membership and bilateral security arrangements with Western countries.

Second, we commit ourselves and our peoples to the sacrificies necessary to upgrade our defense forces to bring them into line with NATO standards.

And third, we will develop our own defenses in order to be in a position to defend ourselves and to be able to defend other European states.

Let no one mistake what we are doing: We are not developing our forces because of any aggressive designs of other countries. Rather we are doing so in order to guarantee our security both by our own efforts and by joining with others in Europe who are committed to the peaceful development of the continent.


Lennart Meri, president of the Republic of Estonia
Guntis Ulmanis, president of the Republic of Latvia
Algirdas Brazauskas, president of the Republic of Lithuania

Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, September 27/28, 1996

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