First step taken in Intensified Dialogue with Ukraine

Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffervisited Kyiv, Ukraine, on 27 June. He had meetings with PresidentViktor Yushchenko, Prime Minster Yulia Tymoshenko, Foreign MinisterBorys Tarasyuk, Defence Minister Anatoliy Grytsenko and other seniorgovernment officials, as well as with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada(parliament), Volodymyr Lytvyn. During his visit, the Ukrainiangovernment formally presented the discussion paper for Ukraine'sIntensified Dialogue with NATO, which will now be forwarded to the NATOAllies for consideration and be used as the basis for structured expertdiscussions .

The discussion paper represents thefirst concrete step in the Intensified Dialogue process since it waslaunched at the informal meeting of Allied and Ukrainian foreignministers in April. It addresses key issues set out in the 1995 Studyon Enlargement -- such as domestic and foreign policy, defence andsecurity sector reform, as well as legal and security issues-- and includes questions Ukraine has regarding the implications of NATO membership.

Beyond Ukraine's aspirations to NATO membership, another key theme of the visit was the government's determination to press ahead with its broad and ambitious reform agenda. The Secretary General reconfirmed the Allies' willingness to assist Ukraine in its reform process, in particular reforms related to the defence and security sector, which will be the subject of a high-level NATO-Ukraine consultations scheduled to take place in Vilnius, Lithuania in October. Preparations for the upcoming visit of the North Atlantic Council to Kyiv in October were also discussed.

The meetings also provided the opportunity to discuss Ukraine'ssubstantial contributions and support to ongoing NATO-led operations,including preparations for Ukraine's assistance to the maritimecounter-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean and its potentialcontribution to NATO's support to the African Union's mission inDarfur. Views were also exchanged on Ukraine's efforts to help find asolution to the "frozen conflict" in Moldova. Moreover, the SecretaryGeneral outlined developments in NATO's cooperation with Russia, whichis a key partner for both the Alliance and Ukraine.

While inKyiv, the Secretary General addressed representatives of civil societyat an event organised by the NATO-Ukraine Civic League. He said that "there is a new spirit of hope in the air"in Ukraine and in its relations with NATO, since the dramatic eventssurrounding the presidential elections at the end of last year. But healso emphasised that "to make certain that democracy is fullyconsolidated and firmly rooted, it will be necessary to press aheadwith crucial, often difficult, reforms. The 'Orange Revolution' mustnot become a treasured memory of a few courageous weeks. It must remaina living project on which all of you, both inside and outside ofgovernment, continue to work each day."