Welcoming
remarks
by NATO
Secretary General Lord Robertson
at the Meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission
Welcome to this meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission and welcome to
our long-time friend Borys Tarasyuk, whom we have known at NATO for many
years, and to whom we owe much of the success of the NATO-Ukraine distinctive
partnership.
The NATO-Ukraine Commission reflects both the Alliance's and Ukraine's
belief that, together, we have a unique opportunity to significantly contribute
to Euro-Atlantic security and stability. We note with great satisfaction
the continued commitment of the Ukrainian leadership to this partnership.
Allies welcome and reciprocate this Ukrainian commitment.
In particular, the ratification of the Status of Forces Agreement by
the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which was voted while the Commission held
its first ever meeting in Kyiv, has opened the door to a qualitative improvement
of our cooperation in PfP. It will allow for greater opportunities to
hold excercises on Ukrainian territory, including at the PfP Training
Center at Yavoriv.
Over the last few months, we have made substantial progress in giving
life to the Charter. The quality of our cooperation has increased. However,
we need to redouble our common efforts and aim still higher, first of
all in the area of defence reform, a priority area in which the Alliance,
individual member states and Ukraine are working together.
The NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine - which was
inaugurated in May 1997 - continues to play an important role in enhancing
our information efforts in the country, helping to dispel lingering stereotypes
which do not do justice to the nature of the new NATO and the revolving
relationship with its partners. We have provided Ukrainian journalists
the opportunity to visit Kosovo and the region and to receive first hand
accounts of the situation in the field. We thus contributed to a better
appreciation by the Ukrainian public of our common efforts.
L'année dernière, nous avons renforcé notre présence
à Kiev par la création d'un bureau de liaison de l'OTAN.
Ce bureau dont l'effectif est au complet, est aujourd'hui opérationnel.
Il contribuera à aider l'Ukraine dans la difficile réforme
de ses institutions de défense, et dans sa participation au PPP.
Je suis heureux de constater que la mise en oeuvre de la partie militaire
du Programme de Partenariat Individuel s'est sensiblement accélérée
ces douze derniers mois.
De même, une coopération concrète a été
récemment établie dans le domaine des plans civils d'urgence.
Elle s'intensifiera encore avec la tenue d'un grand exercice de secours
en cas de catastrophe prévu pour septembre 2000 dans l'Ouest de
l'Ukraine.
Enfin, l'OTAN et l'Ukraine ont coopéré, dans des circonstances
pourtant difficiles, d'abord en Bosnie puis au Kosovo. Les efforts entrepris
se poursuivront jusqu'à ce que nous atteignions notre objectif
commun d'assurer la stabilité et la paix dans les Balkans. Cette
vaste question sera d'ailleurs au premier plan de nos discussions d'aujourd'hui.
Monsieur le Ministre Tarasiouk, vous avez la parole.
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