Mr. Chairman,

Four years ago Estonia participated in the inaugural Council of Europe Summit in Vienna. Then she was a newcomer to European co-operation with little experience, but eager to learn. Today Estonia is actively participating in all activities pursued within the Organisation. In this context, we are happy to say that Estonia not only benefits from the accomplishments and achievements of the Council, but also contributes to its activities in a positive and constructive spirit. Estonia's history has been turbulent, marked by hopes raised and hopes shattered. Now that our independence has been restored, our principal ambition is to obtain for our country, for our people, for our identity, the security of which we were deprived in the past. Security has many facets, all equally important. We strive for political security inside our borders by providing for everybody the best possible conditions for a meaningful and harmonious existence, for fraternity, tolerance, and mutual understanding. We have, with the help of the Council, strengthened our democratic institutions and passed vital legislation in conformity with the Council's norms and values. In addition, we have ratified a number of European Conventions which support Estonia's political security. These include the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, both ratified within last twelve months. These documents represent our commitment to strengthening pluralist democracy in Estonia and our belief that they contribute to the whole of European stability. We strive for economic security and sincerely welcome the European Commission's recommendation that negotiations with a view to our membership of the European Union should begin in early 1998. You may rest convinced that we shall do our utmost to live up to expectations and we have already begun the necessary adaptation of our economic and legal structures. For Estonia, this perspective of joining the Union in the near future is a recognition of what we have achieved already, a stimulus for continuing, and indeed, a tremendous and hopefully rewarded challenge for us all. We strive for military security through contacts with the appropriate international organisations, with the OSCE, and through the Partnership for Peace initiative. Through these organisations we have actively participated in the redefinition and restructuring of European and Euro-Atlantic security structures. We consider the outcome of the Madrid Summit to be a positive step forward. Clearly, Alliance partners have shown that they will follow the example set by the Council of Europe and enlarge in a manner that is fully transparent, so that no European country will feel that its fate has been decided for it behind closed doors. I would like to reiterate our desire to integrate the Baltic region into the European security culture. We value the support and assistance provided by our neighbours and partners in this effort. We strive for democratic security and that is why we give our full support to the action programme which we shall adopt later this morning. We shall actively contribute to its implementation in the years to come, and I would like to take a moment now to highlight some of the areas of particular interest to Estonia. We welcome a positive and constructive outcome to the Council's ongoing work relating to refugees and asylum seekers. We are interested in coming to practical solutions to the challenges posed by organised crime, drug traffic and abuse. Finally, we welcome co-operative efforts to ameliorate the painful social costs which have come in the wake of post-socialist transition in Estonia. The effectiveness of the Council of Europe stems from its ability to develop strategies to address these and other everyday problems of our citizens. By no means will the Council be alone in this task, but we depend on this organisation to serve as an example to other organisations, and we believe the action programme to be a positive step in this direction. Mr. Chairman, The complexities of the modern era can be daunting for a relatively young and small democratic country such as ours. Transition needs to be secured and fostered. Even so, Estonians have decided that their country should be a representative of the highest international standards. A high official of the European Union recently noted that, ''as a member of the Council of Europe and of the OSCE, Estonia has shown that the size of a state is less important than its readiness to make a constructive contribution for the common good.'' In the future Estonia shall most certainly join other international organisations. We shall participate in other forms of co-operation, can have other priorities and other objectives, but the Council of Europe will remain historically connected with our regained sovereignty and our re- found international identity. For this Estonia remains grateful.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

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