NATO Information and Documentation Centre celebrates its 10th anniversary in Kyiv

The event was attended by Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Volodymyr Handogiy and by Slovak Ambassador to Ukraine, Urban Rusnak, whose embassy serves as NATO’s Contact Point Emnbassy in Ukraine.

The NIDC was formally opened on 7 May 1997 by the then NATO Secretary General Javier Solana and Ukraine’s foreign minister at the time, Henadiy Udovenko, on the eve of the signing of the NATO-Ukraine Charter on a Distinctive Partnership in 1997. It was the first information office to be established by NATO in a Partner country.

In the framework of NATO-Ukraine cooperation and in collaboration with Ukrainian non-governmental organizations, NIDC supports hundreds of information projects throughout the country. Besides the organization of regular student academies, round-table discussions, seminars and visits to NATO, the NIDC has opened 55 Information Points in Ukraine’s regional and university libraries.

Speaking at the reception,  NIDC Director Michel Duray highlighted the importance of continuing to inform the Ukrainian public about NATO and about NATO-Ukraine cooperation, in particular Ukraine’s active contributions to NATO-led operations. While emphasising that Ukrainian ownership of the joint information programme is a priority, he reiterated NATO’s ongoing support in this area. He also paid tribute to NIDC’s first Director, the late Roman Lishchynski of Canada.