28 Apr. 2006

Alliance reiterates support for Ukraine Event Schedule of events of the Informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, Sofia, Bulgaria, 27-28 April Multimedia Audio file of the Secretary General’s joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister MP3/4543Kb Meeting in Sofia for informal consultations, NATO Foreign Ministers reiterated their support for Ukraine ’s reform efforts and their readiness to provide assistance. At the informal meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk briefed Ministers on the recent political developments in Ukraine . NATO Ministers and Mr. Tarasyuk also took stock of the intensified dialogue on Ukraine ’s membership aspirations and related reforms, which was launched just over a year ago. Performance-based process Ministers congratulated Ukraine in particular on the conduct of the parliamentary elections, which were free and fair and which NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called a “milestone”. They also welcomed the adoption of Ukraine ’s target plan for 2006, which outlines the specific reform activities that Ukraine has committed to undertake this year. Speaking to reporters at a joint press conference with the Minister, Mr. De Hoop Scheffer said that security sector reform was a key issue and NATO was looking forward to upcoming high-level consultations with Ukraine on this issue. In terms of Ukraine ’s membership ambitions, the Secretary General stressed that this is a “performance-based process”, which depended on the progress of reforms in Ukraine.