Opening remarks

by Mr. Volodymyr Ogryzko,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
at the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting with Invitees at the level of Foreign Ministers

Dear Secretary General, dear colleagues, dear friends, without any doubt this year was historical in the relations between Ukraine and NATO. The Bucharest Summit decision that Ukraine will become a member of NATO has opened a clear Euro-Atlantic perspective for my country. The objective of future membership in NATO has been leading us through more than a decade of relationship and cooperation with NATO, as well as through the period of intensive engagement introduced to address the outstanding issues. The intensive engagement gave Ukraine a clear understanding of NATO expectations in this... in the context of Ukraine's strategic course towards membership in the Alliance.

Yesterday, dear colleagues, you have made an assessment of the progress achieved by Ukraine on its way to membership in NATO. I am satisfied with the fact that the intensive engagement has proven itself as a vivid performance-based and result oriented process of substantive political dialogue and effective practical cooperation aimed first and foremost at further strengthening of European and Euro-Atlantic security and stability.

The decision of the North Atlantic Council is pursued by our side as a next practical step on our way to meet the criteria of membership in NATO. I thank you.