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| Updated: 29-Jun-2005 | NATO Update |
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First step taken in Intensified Dialogue with Ukraine
Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Kyiv, Ukraine, on 27 June. He had meetings with President Viktor Yushchenko, Prime Minster Yulia Tymoshenko, Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk, Defence Minister Anatoliy Grytsenko and other senior government officials, as well as with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), Volodymyr Lytvyn. During his visit, the Ukrainian government formally presented the discussion paper for Ukraine's Intensified Dialogue with NATO, which will now be forwarded to the NATO Allies for consideration and be used as the basis for structured expert discussions . The discussion paper represents the first concrete step in the Intensified Dialogue process since it was launched at the informal meeting of Allied and Ukrainian foreign ministers in April. It addresses key issues set out in the 1995 Study on Enlargement -- such as domestic and foreign policy, defence and security sector reform, as well as legal and security issues-- and includes questions Ukraine has regarding the implications of NATO membership. Beyond Ukraine's aspirations to NATO membership, another key theme of the visit was the government's determination to press ahead with its broad and ambitious reform agenda. The Secretary General reconfirmed the Allies' willingness to assist Ukraine in its reform process, in particular reforms related to the defence and security sector, which will be the subject of a high-level NATO-Ukraine consultations scheduled to take place in Vilnius, Lithuania in October. Preparations for the upcoming visit of the North Atlantic Council to Kyiv in October were also discussed. The meetings also provided the opportunity to discuss Ukraine's substantial contributions and support to ongoing NATO-led operations, including preparations for Ukraine's assistance to the maritime counter-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean and its potential contribution to NATO's support to the African Union's mission in Darfur. Views were also exchanged on Ukraine's efforts to help find a solution to the "frozen conflict" in Moldova. Moreover, the Secretary General outlined developments in NATO's cooperation with Russia, which is a key partner for both the Alliance and Ukraine. While in Kyiv, the Secretary General addressed representatives of civil society at an event organised by the NATO-Ukraine Civic League. He said that "there is a new spirit of hope in the air" in Ukraine and in its relations with NATO, since the dramatic events surrounding the presidential elections at the end of last year. But he also emphasised that "to make certain that democracy is fully consolidated and firmly rooted, it will be necessary to press ahead with crucial, often difficult, reforms. The 'Orange Revolution' must not become a treasured memory of a few courageous weeks. It must remain a living project on which all of you, both inside and outside of government, continue to work each day."
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