Third anniversary of the NATO-Ukraine Charter

Three years ago, Ukraine formally signed the "Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and Ukraine" at the Alliance Summit in Madrid, 8-9 July 1997.

In celebration of this third anniversary, a series of commemorative activities were organised in Kyiv, from 10-11 July. NATO officials, including representatives from the NATO Information and Documentation Centre based in the capital, met with Ukrainian government and parliamentary officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament). These meetings were followed the next day by a live interview given by NATO Spokesman Dr Jamie Shea on Ukrainian television, and a panel discussion on the future of the NATO-Ukraine relationship.

Ukraine started actively cooperating with NATO soon after it achieved independence in 1991. Relations have been steadily growing ever since, with regular meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Commission and many other initiatives such as the ratification of an agreement in March 2000 whereby the presence of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory during military exercises was accepted by the Verkhovna Rada.