Interview

with Michel Duray, Director of the
NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine

INTERVIEWER: We're here with Michel Duray, Director NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine.

Mr. Duray, the NATO Information and Documentation Centre (NIDC) in Ukraine will be 10 years in May 2007. How would you sum up the history of this centre?

DURAY: Good morning. I would try to sum up as quick as possible, but although it is a very long story. And first of all I would like to pay tribute to the first Director of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre, Ambassador Roman Lishchynski, who left us in the position of Director of Information and Documentation Centre. And without him at the very beginning in place, it would have been very difficult to start and to launch this operation.

Secondly I would say that the history of this centre has been accompanying the history of the relationship and the most intense moments I would say were in '99 when one of my predecessors was trying to explain the Kosovan operation and the NATO military actions during the Kosovan War. And the second most intense moment was maybe in 2004 I would say during the so-called Orange Revolution. Still it was an important political moment for Ukraine.

INTERVIEWER: Okay. What are the main challenges as of today?

DURAY: The main challenges I would say are still dealing with information and public diplomacy first of all as far as we are concerned. There are still a lot of stereotypes and myths amongst the Ukrainian society, although I would say the Ukrainian capital is not using these myths anymore. So these myths are still very strong within the regional society and the biggest challenge for us is to try to influence these myths with augmentations and explaining what we are.

The second challenge is to explain what the new NATO is since most of the Ukrainian population has not yet had an access during the recent years, free and fair access to the information on what the NATO is. This access has really started I would say two years ago and it is important now that we continue to explain NATO's transformations and NATO's agenda first of all to the Ukrainian policy-makers and to the Ukrainian population.

The third challenge I would say is to make the difference between having an information policy and an information strategy on NATO and on security issues related to NATO and having an explanation on membership. We are not in Ukraine to sell memberships. We are in Ukraine to explain what NATO is basically and this is a very, very tough challenge, a day to day challenge.

INTERVIEWER: What are the main priorities for NATO public diplomacy in Ukraine in 2007 and what are the key messages that you would envisage?

DURAY: I would say that the key priorities are to continue what we have been doing. It means to sell the NATO, explaining NATO operations; to concentrate on NATO issues and not only on NATO-Ukraine issues. I guess that the Ukrainian government itself, as it has been mentioned on several occasions by other Prime Ministers and by other Ministers, has to develop one's self the information campaign to the population, the broad information campaign.

Of course we are ready to team-up with our Ukrainian partners as we always do in various spheres, such as in the defence reform sphere where NATO and Ukraine are teaming up to have the best value for money of the investment done both by Ukraine and NATO countries and NATO itself.

So I would furthermore that another important thing for us is to meet the 10th Anniversary of the NATO-Ukraine Charter on a Distinctive Partnership which will be an important milestone in the history of the Ukraine and NATO history, joint history I would say. Today as I am speaking to you, we are still thinking altogether with the Ukrainian authorities on how to mark this important event.

INTERVIEWER: Okay. What will you retain from your five years in the Ukraine?

DURAY: This is an interesting question. I would retain five fantastic years with 50 million fantastic people.

INTERVIEWER: Excellent. Thank you.