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The North Atlantic Council, comprising NATO's Secretary General and the 26 NATO ambassadors, visited Ukraine on 16 and 17 June for a series of high-level meetings in Kyiv and to take part in a number of outreach activities in the regions.
The visit was organized at the invitation of the Ukrainian authorities. A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission with the participation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko and Defence Minister Yuriy Yukhanurov took place on the first day.
The North Atlantic Council also met President Viktor Yushchenko and the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine; the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and members of her cabinet; and the Speaker of the Parliament Arseniy Yatsenyuk and other members of parliament.
Debunking myths
President Yushchenko and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer held a joint press conference on 16 June. Referring to the declaration made by Allied leaders at the Bucharest Summit in April that Ukraine would one day become a NATO member, the Secretary General emphasized that "It is crystal clear that any foreign policy course Ukraine might wish to follow vis-à-vis the European Union or vis-à-vis NATO is strictly a sovereign decision by the Ukrainian government and, finally, the Ukrainian people."
He also stressed that "decision-making in NATO is by the 26 Allies, and by them only". Any decision regarding Ukraine's application to join the Membership Action Plan (MAP) would be a "strictly sovereign decision" by Ukraine and NATO's member countries, and would not be subject to the influence of third countries.
President Yushchenko underlined that "the policy of Ukraine's future membership is not a policy against anyone. It has no Russian colours or any other. It has only one national colour. We want to see Ukraine free, politically independent and its territory integral."
The Secretary General also took the opportunity of the press conference to debunk a number of myths concerning the possible consequences of Ukrainian membership of the Alliance. "It does not mean NATO bases on Ukrainian soil.... It does not mean that any Ukrainian soldier will be forced to take part in NATO's operations and missions."
Reaching out
On Tuesday 17 June, the Secretary General spent a busy day in Kyiv, engaging with Ukrainian public. He started with a morning discussion organized by the Open Ukraine Foundation and hosted by the Diplomatic Club in the Pinchuk Art Center. Prominent members of the Ukrainian business community, diplomatic corps, non-governmental organizations, as well as politicians and artists debated NATO-Ukraine relations.
Next, Mr Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where he spoke to and answered questions from students of international relations and law.
Following the press conference at the Ukrinform the Secretary General ended his stay in Kyiv by taking part in a live internet chat held in the Korrespondent magazine.
Meanwhile, the NATO ambassadors split up and travelled to the cities of Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Lviv. A number of outreach activities gave them the opportunity to engage with the Ukrainian public and to visit projects which demonstrate the practical benefits of NATO-Ukraine cooperation. These included projects sponsored under the NATO Science for Peace and Security programme.