At the meeting of Ukraine- NATO Commission in Ministerial Session Brussels, 16 Dec. 1997

Opening Statement by H.E. Mr. Hennadiy Udovenko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mr. Secretary General, Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen. Integration into European and Euro-Atlantic political, economic and security structures is a strategic and conscious choice of Ukraine, which dominates and determines its foreign policy. President Kuchma emphasized this point very strongly for several times. Deepening of co-operation with and getting closer to NATO corresponds to our strategy for integration in European and Euro-Atlantic structures. It is in this context that we see prospects for Ukraine's development as an independent European state. Ukraine regards development of special partnership with the Alliance as an important guarantee of its national security. This new Ukraine-NATO dialogue and relationship should be an inseparable part to the contemporary, developing European security architecture. Ukraine cooperates with NATO, besides valuable experience of IFOR/SFOR, both within the framework of EAPC and Partnership for Peace Program, as well as "beyond" EAPC/PfP framework - within the framework of distinctive (special) partnership relations anchored to formulas "16+1" and Ukraine-NATO Commission which are based on a very important document - Charter on a distinctive partnership between Ukraine and NATO. And the record of this cooperation has already been positive. Today's we'll have a lot of hard and very important work to be done, moving towards developing and strengthening of Ukraine-NATO special partnership. I mean today's signing the Memorandum of understanding on civil emergency planning and disaster preparedness between NATO and the Ministry of Ukraine of Emergencies and Affairs of Population Protection from the consequences of the Chornobyl catastrophe and approval of the Work Plan of implementation of NATO-Ukraine Charter for 1998, as well as discussing of a number of issues of common interest, having in mind the creation of more stable, more secure and more united Europe. This is my strong conviction, that these two events, as well as earlier establishing of our Mission to NATO and the beginning of a work of our Commission are the remarkable achievements and will become a significant momentum in the NATO-Ukraine history. Thank you and let's begin our work.