On March 29, 2004, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and four other countries became full members of NATO. However, the door to the alliance was difficult to open, as the Baltic states were considered to be behind the “red line” for a long time.
Today, March 29 is overshadowed by another date – November 23, 2002 – when then US President George W. Bush visited Vilnius and delivered a historic speech. “Anyone who would choose Lithuania as an enemy has also made an enemy of the United States of America,” he said. This message is now engraved on a plaque in Vilnius Town Hall.
However, the crucial guarantee was issued in Prague a few days before Bush’s visit when Lithuania, along with Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria, was invited to join the most powerful military alliance in the world.
‘Red lines’
Lithuania’s path to NATO began on October 5, 1993, when all parliamentary parties signed an appeal to the president. At the beginning of the following year, then President Algirdas Brazauskas informed NATO Secretary General Manfred Werner of Lithuania’s aspirations.
But at the time, Lithuania’s wish to join the military alliance was viewed with scepticism. Brazauskas, who visited NATO headquarters, could not bring positive news home.
Lithuania’s NATO membership also depended on relations with its neighbours. According to diplomat and former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis, the spectre of the conflict with Poland still lingered.
“It was thought that there would be no good relations with Poland because of historical complications, the Vilnius issue, and the 1938 ultimatum. Therefore, our route to Europe was expected to go through Scandinavia,” he recalls.
However, the country’s leaders soon realised that without good neighbourly relations with Poland, Lithuania’s return to Europe might be complicated. As a result, joint work of Lithuanian and Polish politicians began.
“In 1996–1997, strategic partnership agreements were signed. A Polish-Lithuanian Parliamentary Assembly, a council for cooperation between governments, and a very active and long-lasting Presidential Advisory Committee were set up,” said Valionis, who then served as an ambassador to Poland.
However, at the time, NATO was still reluctant to offer security guarantees to the former Soviet states.
“There were claims that the admission of these states into NATO would destabilise the security situation. There were rumours that the Baltic states were indefensible, that we had to maintain Russia’s predictability, and that Moscow clearly emphasised the red line,” recalled Gintė Damušytė, former Lithuanian ambassador to NATO.
There was also a rather ambiguous attitude towards NATO membership in the Baltic region, with both Latvia and Estonia prioritising EU accession.
According to Giedrius Čekuolis, who served as Lithuania’s Chief NATO Integration Coordinator, a lot of effort was put into changing this attitude of the neighbouring countries, as the only way to expect an invitation to NATO was through cooperation.
“On several fronts, we had to grab the Estonian and Latvian hands because it was clear that we could not do anything alone. The military alliance and the Baltic countries had to be united. I went to Riga, Tallinn, and we formed teams,” Čekuolis said.
Little known countries
During the NATO Madrid Summit in 1997, Lithuania did not hear its name among those invited to join the alliance. However, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary – the former members of the Warsaw Pact – were invited to join.
The three countries became NATO members in March 1999. This also marked a shift in the attitude towards the post-Soviet space, but the former Soviet states were still placed behind the red line.
When the then US President Bill Clinton visited Warsaw, Valionis asked him when the Baltic countries could expect the invitation to NATO.
“I asked the question, saying that the Baltic states are very concerned because our security is under greater threat,” he recalled.
It was in 1999–2002 that the most active work phase began. It also helped that Poland, which supported Lithuania’s NATO aspirations, was already a member of the alliance.
“The political ground was not yet ready to invite the Baltic states to join NATO. Although there were talks of an open-door policy, the West did not want to cross the red line of inviting the former Soviet republics to join NATO,” Damušytė shared. “But the climate began to change because we had more vocal supporters. We ourselves were committed to the Membership Action Plan and reported back after each cycle.”
The attempts were also made to persuade not only the neighbouring countries but also other members of the alliance, as the Baltic countries were still little known to the Western community.
“At the time, NATO seemed distant, but the way was already being shown. A bunch of Eastern Councils were created, including our NATO representation. However, it was still more about walking around than being inside,” said Čekuolis.
Turning point
Lithuania had intensified its campaigning for NATO membership in 2000. This led to the creation of the Vilnius Ten, a group of countries awaiting an invitation and actively preparing for membership.
However, there were no concrete promises until 2001. Diplomats recall that the attitude was also rather disappointing and it was naive to expect membership any time soon.
“When I arrived in Brussels in January 2001, virtually all my colleagues avoided talking about NATO enlargement. This came as a shock to me because Lithuania’s main foreign policy objective was to become a member of NATO and the EU,” Damušytė recalled.
The Lithuanian diplomats were touring NATO member states, speaking in the parliaments and presenting Lithuania, which was still little known in parts of Europe.
“Whatever we said, they didn’t know much about us, especially in Southern Europe. You had to know how to speak. I wouldn’t say it was insignificant because a lot depended on the politicians in the parliamentary republics,” Čekuolis explained.
Finally, the hard work started to bear fruit. The situation also changed after September 11, 2001.
“It was a turning point. For the first time in NATO’s history, the US activated Article 5, and on September 12, the Vilnius Ten issued a statement, making it clear that we were ready to assist the US in the fight against terrorism, to open our airspace to the US. It was appreciated by the US and NATO,” Damušytė said.
Prague and Vilnius
What was not said in Madrid in 1997 was said in Prague in 2002. Seven members of the Vilnius Ten were then invited to join NATO. Two days later, on November 23, Bush repeated the historical message in Vilnius.
“For a nation that had suffered for centuries from eastern expansion, President Bush’s words that from now on those who are Lithuania’s enemies will also be the enemies of the US, guaranteed existential security,” said Valionis.
“I don’t want to be a historian, they will judge, but Bush’s speech was certainly one of the decisive factors. After those words it was clear that sooner or later the Baltic states would be NATO members,” added Chief NATO Integration Coordinator Čekuolis.
It was the Prague Summit and Bush’s subsequent visit to Vilnius that kick-started a very active period of preparations for NATO accession.
After much negotiation, persuasion, and discussion, Lithuania became a full member of NATO on March 29, 2004. However, the euphoria of that time was overshadowed by the local political crisis – the impeachment of President Rolandas Paksas.
Although this scandal was closely followed abroad, it did not have a major impact on the decision to accept Lithuania into the NATO family. On the contrary, the successful impeachment process enhanced Lithuania’s prestige.
“NATO has been waiting for us to solve this big problem. And when it was solved, Lithuania came out on the right side. After accession, things changed, and a different level of planning, cooperation, real, normal work among members started,” Čekuolis said.
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