Now as Then Urgency of Helsinki
Helsinki the Place is Finland’s capital situated on the Gulf
of Finland’s shore; fifty miles north of Tallinn, Estonia, 250 miles east of
Stockholm, Sweden, and 240 miles west of Saint Petersburg, Russia; and cities
with which Helsinki shares “close historical ties with these cities.”
Helsinki the
Accord happened in 1975 when thirty-five states including the United States,
Canada, and all European states, except Albania and Andorra, signed the Helsinki
Final Act or Helsinki Declaration which, though lacking treaty status and not binding
on states, aimed at “improving relations between the Communists and the West.”
The Declaration was the final act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation
in Europe held in Helsinki, Finland’s Finlandia Hall in July and August 1,
1975.
New Helsinki Proffered
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homas Graham
writing at Strategic Culture ponders a new Helsinki Communiqué between East and
West, the United States and the Russian Federation. The U.S. president’s trip cracks
a window, a great opportunity for long-term improved relations between two great
powers and for nonaggression globally. Here’s my edited extract from Graham’s construct.
RF-USA Communiqué Character Centered on Solutions - A developing framework and attitude of negotiation
“Based on mutual respect” - Committed henceforth - “to act with respect for the principles of nonaggression, mutual benefit, respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states; and noninterference in each other’s internal affairs”
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ubstantive Content, Commitments
Acknowledging each side’s “significant roles in global
affairs” for the long term and recognizing their differences and “the dangers
of turning a competitive relationship into a permanent confrontation, which
would risk military strife with catastrophic consequences, given each side’s
massive nuclear arsenal”; they agree “to find ways to compete that reduce that
risk.”
Charting critical issues and areas of difference with no areas off limited: “Ukraine, Syria and Iran; election “interferences”; North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) “expansion”; and U.S. sanctions.
Promising Strategic Stability cooperation with goals ensuring “mutual compliance with the terms of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty)”; and beginning “negotiations” for prolonging “the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty agreement (New START),” thus setting in motion “a broader discussion of strategic stability” in a world advancing toward “nuclear multi-polarity” and virtually unknown impact of “advanced conventional and cyber weapons.”
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ommitting “to the steady normalization of relations
including opening multiple channels of official communication and regular meetings
between senior officials”; each head of state
Endorsing “expanded contact between United States and Russian expert communities
Welcoming contributions they could make to finding innovative ways of managing disputes and fostering cooperation”; and
Embracing “efforts to build bridges between both societies through expanded people-to-people contacts.”
U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin on Monday July 16, 2018.
Sources
“Putin,
Trump to hold summit in Helsinki on July 16”—MOSCOW—“Russian President
Vladimir
Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a summit in Helsinki on
July
16, a long-expected encounter that comes amid spiraling tensions between
Moscow
and Washington” Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press posted June
28, 2018
http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20180628/putin-trump-to-hold-summit-in-helsinki-on-july-16
“Time for a Helsinki Communiqué …What would a
U.S.-Russian Helsinki Communiqué look like? The joint U.S.-China Shanghai Communiqué
laid out stark differences, but also laid real groundwork for cooperation.
Could Trump and Putin follow such an example?” July 11, 2018 Thomas Graham,
Strategic Culture Foundation https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/07/11/time-for-helsinki-communique.html
Wikipedia
Helsinki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki
Helsinki
Accords https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Accords
Insight Beyond Today’s News, CLB
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