Vilnius, Lithuania 21 Apr. 2005

Opening Remarks By NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Informal Meeting of NATO-Ukraine Commission Foreign Ministers’ Level Events 20-21/04/2005 - Vilnius Informal meeting of Foreign Ministers Ministers, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Before we begin our informal meeting, Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk and I will sign an exchange of letters establishing modalities for Ukraine’s contribution to NATO’s Operation Active Endeavour. This operation, carried out under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, aims to deter, defend against and disrupt terrorist activity through maritime operations in the Mediterranean. Ukrainian support to the operation was agreed in principle when the Heads of State and Government of the NATO-Ukraine Commission met in Istanbul last June. By signing today’s agreement, Ukraine is adding another concrete dimension to her already impressive array of contributions to Euro-Atlantic security, and demonstrating yet again the strategic importance of the NATO-Ukraine Distinctive Partnership. Signing ceremony follows. Merci. Cette réunion est la première que nous tenons en cette configuration avec le ministre des affaires étrangères, M. Boris Tarasyuk, un ami de longue date de l'Alliance, qui défend depuis longtemps les valeurs qu'elle incarne. Aujourd’hui, nous avons l'occasion de faire le point sur les discussions qui ont eu lieu en février, à Bruxelles, entre les chefs d'État et de gouvernement des pays de l'OTAN et le président Yushchenko . Les événements spectaculaires de la "révolution orange" étaient encore dans tous les esprits. Le nouveau président de l'Ukraine avait alors présenté un ambitieux programme de réformes. Il avait aussi souligné l'importance de la coopération OTAN-Ukraine comme moyen essentiel par lequel les États représentés autour de cette table pourraient l'aider à accomplir ces réformes. Depuis, au cours de ces dernières semaines, nous nous sommes employés, avec la participation directe de l’Ukraine, à élaborer un programme concret de coopération ciblée, que nous examinerons ici aujourd'hui. The President also affirmed that, while the reforms the new government has committed to pursue – in Ukraine’s democratic institutions, its security sector, its legal system and its economy – are intended first and foremost to improve the lives of the Ukrainian people, they also are intended to move the country closer to Euro-Atlantic institutions, including NATO. He declared unambiguously Ukraine’s long-term aspiration to integrate fully into this Alliance, an aspiration that carries with it a firm commitment to the principles and values that underpin the North Atlantic Treaty. This will not be an easy goal to achieve, nor will progress toward it be automatic. Rather, the further development of the NATO-Ukraine relationship will depend on Ukraine’s own performance in the implementation of key reform objectives. While the chief responsibility in this regard rests with the Ukrainian authorities, NATO Heads of State and Government made equally clear that Allies stand ready to assist where they can, and offer advice where they must. We in NATO, and states throughout the Euro-Atlantic area, share an interest in Ukraine’s success in achieving the kind of thorough, systemic reforms that will bring her closer to the Euro-Atlantic community. And today, Ministers will have the opportunity to discuss how best to carry forward our future dialogue on Ukraine’s aspirations. With this, ladies and gentlemen I would like to give the floor to Minister Tarasyuk.