Dr. Karl A. Lamers, ATA President, delivered a speech on the occasion of the launching of the new ATA 'Youth Network for Cooperation in the Mediterranean'.

The network was launched at the Italian Atlantic Committee annual Atlantic Forum and it saw the participation of 80 young professionals from Italy and other Southern Mediterranean countries, including, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine Territories, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Delegates from other NATO member countries were invited, such as Albania, Croatia. The aim of the network is to assist the development of a long lasting cooperative environment among the successor generations of the Mediterranean region by sharing programs, initiatives and ideas.

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you warmly on this wonderful morning here in Palermo. I am delighted to participate in the Palermo Atlantic Forum and it is an honor to address a speech on the occasion of the launching of the Youth Network for Cooperation in the Mediterranean.

This conference is the first of its kind for the new ATA’s Mediterranean Dialogue Initiative.  As President of the Atlantic Treaty Association, I am very proud that you all – students, researchers and young professionals from Mediterranean countries – have accepted this invitation and are making an important contribution to strengthening dialogue across the Mediterranean and facilitating greater cooperation.

The ATA has its strengths and its priorities, where governments are reaching their limits – that is in communication with partners. For this reason, we decided more than two years ago to implement a Mediterranean Dialogue Initiative with the aim of establishing closer contacts and cooperation between our Association, its national chapters and the countries in the Southern Mediterranean. 

The English scholar Christopher Dawson said some decades ago: “The intercourse between the Mediterranean and the North was never purely economic or political; it also meant the exchange of knowledge and ideas and the influence of social institutions”.

Today, these words are more important than ever before. The question of security and stability within the Mediterranean region is also essential for security in Europe. The future of the broader Middle East region is in fact key to our security.

It is not only the geographical point of contact but the close political, cultural and economical relations which have connected the occident and the orient for centuries. This region has historically been amongst the most innovative and dynamic in the world. The development of a modern Europe would not have been possible had it not been enriched in so many ways by the Arab world in particular.

Even today, the region has great potential. There are opportunities for economic cooperation, energy supply and ensuring security for Europe. A deep interdependency between Europe and North Africa already exists in the field of economics and energy.

The Mediterranean region offers a great variety of possibilities and opportunities. Nevertheless, the region has also been a place of instability. The Eastern Mediterranean region in particular has socio-economic and security problems and is in the direct neighbourhood of states closely connected with regional and international terrorism.

When we decided to start the ATA Mediterranean Dialogue Initiative two years ago, we did not anticipate the relevance which this initiative would have today. The protests in Tunisia at the start of this year triggered an unforeseen chain reaction and led to outcomes which would have been unthinkable only a short time ago. The uprising against the regimes came as a surprise to all of us.

The events taking place in the context of the Arab Spring currently demonstrate just how much Europe’s security depends on developments outside the European region – developments over which we ourselves have very little influence. As a Mediterranean country, Italy is particularly affected by these upheavals, especially in relation to the influx of refugees from North Africa.

These events evoke powerful emotions and I am sure that we are all affected by the sight of hundreds of thousands of mainly young people demonstrating for a better life and a perspective for the future.

We feel, we know, that the region is changing.

William Drayton may have said it best: “Change starts when someone sees the next step.” We have to support these next steps and shape the future together. As we watch the events unfolding in North Africa and the Middle East, we are filled with hope and admiration at the courage of the people there. Many of whom are risking their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy.

We all share the hope that Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and other states will become functioning democracies with freely elected leaders and that the freedom and rights we all enjoy in our countries will take root in this region as well. It is my firm belief that democratic governance and freedom of opinion are rights which should be shared by people everywhere – as was our belief 20 years ago after the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The hope for freedom means that we, as an organization based on shared values, cannot simply stand aside and passively observe events unfolding. We should embrace and seek to support those forces that aspire to democracy and more freedom. We know from our own recent history that we can assist nations in making the transition from authoritarian rule to parliamentary democracy, and we should be prepared to respond positively to any requests for such assistance.

The Atlantic Treaty Association with its goals to promote democracy, to support the development of civil society and to engage with civil society groups which support peace, security, and broad democratic practices, can play an important role in the struggle for democracy and stability in the Mediterranean.  As I have said it before, the strength of the ATA as a nongovernmental organization is that it can work in fields where the possibilities of national governments are limited.

It is in our fundamental interests to find interlocutors from politics and civil society in the countries concerned and to establish robust and sustainable contacts there. In doing so, it is important to remember that the countries of North Africa and the Middle East have very young populations. It is you – the young people – who were the most important part of the revolution and it is you who must shape the future of your countries.

The political crisis is partly a crisis of participation! The citizens have had almost no chance to participate in political decision-making until now. We therefore have to be supportive in assisting this important participation. The people need perspectives and models for social relations within a democratic, pluralist and open society. New forums of political dialogue – with universities, schools and associations −, assisting in judicial reforms or election training – are only some of the possibilities for supporting the people and promoting democratic change.

With participants from the Southern Mediterranean – from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt − today’s forum offers us great opportunities for establishing these contacts and gaining an impression of how and where we can tie in. You should use this seminar to consider how we can help ensure the best outcomes for the populations of those countries. This would be a contribution not only to the democratic development of these populations, but also to broader security and stability.

The current upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East are a huge challenge, but they are also a huge opportunity. The American writer Maria Robinson once said: “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” We have to take this opportunity to lead the recent developments not only to a new ending, but to a better one. It will require a lot of effort but the Atlantic Treaty Association can, and will, help!  I would now like to wish you fruitful discussions and a successful conference.

Thank you very much!