NATO HQ 5 Dec. 2003

Press Conference by Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, MInister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine following the meeting of the NATO Ukraine Commission at the level of Foreign Ministers Well, I would like first of all to express our appreciation to Lord Robertson for all his efforts over the years to promote and to further basic operation that is a cornerstone of our Euro-Atlantic and European integration operations. Today's meeting was a continuation of the process where we, step by step, move towards achieving these goals. And we do understand on the premium side the whole scale of the changes that need to be introduced in both the military, uniform services, security, but also in civil society and other areas which create a modern European... Euro-Atlantic, I would say, society and state and that would be a natural part of the NATO family of nations. And in that, we have promoted progress, a very substantial one, in moving forwards, achieving these goals. The discussion was very pointed, very result-oriented, also very frank. We had a two-way discussion. And I believe clearly, in my experience, however limited, it was one of the best meetings from the point of view of the openness that can only exist between real friends and lonesome partners but also division which we share of the need to move further to exert more effort, but also to be together in difficult situations. Today, Ukraine is resonator in Kosovo. It is also in the NATO supported operation in Iraq, where Ukraine provides real - and I would like to stress - not declaratory or symbolic, but real input in solving some of the issues that are associated with real risks but also create a basis for making a change in an important part of the world, important to Ukraine, important to our friends in NATO. Thank you.