Message from Turnberry

The Message from Turnberry (also known as message of Turnberry or the Turnberry message)[1][2] was a message of 8 June 1990 sent by the North Atlantic Council meeting on June 7–8 near the ruins of the Turnberry Castle, Scotland, addressed "to the Soviet Union and to all other European countries"; effectively meaning the Warsaw Pact (Warsaw Treaty Organization) and neutral European nations, offering "friendship and cooperation... to help build a new peaceful order in Europe, based on freedom, justice and democracy".[1][3][4][5]

Background

The message was issued in the aftermath of the Autumn of Nations events in Eastern Europe.[5] Around the same time, the Warsaw Pact was also holding their own meeting, and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union would hold one in the near future, giving ample opportunity for the Communists to issue a reply.[1][4]

The message has been called a success of the German diplomacy, in particular, German diplomat Dieter Kastrup, on the path to German reunification.[4][6] Other notable supporters of this message included German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and American Secretary of State James Baker.[7] Canada was also described as a vocal supporter of the message among the NATO parties.[2]

Significance

The message, issued in addition to the normal NATO communiques, was quickly picked up by international media.[8] It has been called "exceptional", and the "first official recognition of the end of the Cold War",[3] a "hand of friendship",[7] as well as "the first step in the evolution of NATO-Russia relations".[9] The message has also been described as laying down the foundations of NATO's modern partnership and outreach programmes.[10] It was followed a month later by the NATO's 1990 London summit which further declared that "USSR and Warsaw Pact are no longer enemies".[1][3] Also that month, the NATO Secretary General, Manfred Wörner, visited Moscow to discuss future cooperation, a first for NATO–Russia relations.[11]

The process of de-escalation would lead to the formation of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997.[3]

See also

References
  1. Peter H. Merkl (1 November 2010). German Unification in the European Context. Penn State Press. p. 363. ISBN 978-0-271-04409-5.
  2. A Guide to Canadian Policies on Arms Control, Disarmament, Defence and Conflict Resolution. Canadian Institute for International Peace and Security. 1990. p. 188. ISBN 9780662181224.
  3. Marco Rimanelli (4 December 2008). Historical Dictionary of NATO and Other International Security Organizations. Scarecrow Press. pp. 377–378. ISBN 978-0-8108-6263-0.
  4. Elbe, Frank (1993). "Resolving the External Aspects of German Unification: The Two-plus-Four Process". German Yearbook of International Law. 36: 371–384.
  5. Ryszard Zięba (25 April 2018). The Euro-Atlantic Security System in the 21st Century: From Cooperation to Crisis. Springer. p. 32. ISBN 978-3-319-79105-0.
  6. Luy, Georg Julius (March–April 2011). "Two Plus Four: A Diplomatic Masterpiece". New Zealand International Review. 36 (2): 6.
  7. Elbe, Frank (October 2, 2009). "THE DIPLOMATIC PATH TO GERMAN UNITY" (PDF). HERTIE LECTURE, DELIVERED AT THE GHI’S GERMAN UNIFICATION SYMPOSIUM, WASHINGTON DC.
  8. Martin A. Smith (30 November 2000). NATO in the First Decade after the Cold War. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-7923-6632-4.
  9. Iulian, Raluca Iulia (2017-08-23). "A Quarter Century of Nato-Russia Relations". CBU International Conference Proceedings. 5: 633–638. doi:10.12955/cbup.v5.998. ISSN 1805-9961.
  10. Jennifer Medcalf (1 December 2012). NATO: A Beginner's Guide. Oneworld Publications. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-78074-169-7.
  11. "NATO Declassified - First NATO Secretary General in Russia".
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