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15.01.2008 21:32
Press office of President Victor Yushchenko
Joint address to NATO Secretary General
His Excellency Your Excellency, Since restoration of its independence in 1991, Ukraine has passed a protracted path of its rapprochement with NATO: from the fruitful cooperation in the framework of the Partnership for Peace program and special relationship in the format of the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership to the effective interaction in the framework of the Ukraine-NATO Action Plan and the Intensified Dialogue on membership and relevant reforms. The Euro-Atlantic integration policy is specified in the Ukrainian legislation; it is not directed against third countries, and it is aimed at Ukraine’s prospective membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to be deliberated with the Ukrainian people. Fully sharing the European democratic values our state identifies itself as part of the Euro-Atlantic security area and is willing, together with NATO and partners thereof, to counteract common threats to security under equal conditions. It is for this reason that Ukraine will deepen and broaden this trend of its cooperation with the Alliance ensuring continued participation in peacemaking and anti-terrorist operations conducted under the NATO aegis. Ukraine is also a reliable partner of the Alliance in its foreign policy, supporting in various formats, specifically in the UN and OSCE framework or through accession to the EU position, current approaches concerning solution of outstanding issues of the European and global security. Ukraine actively interacts with NATO member-states within the new mechanisms of cooperation in the compliance and implementation of fundamental treaties related to international security. In particular, our state has acceded to the Proliferation Security Initiative, the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, the G8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. Ukraine is a recognized regional leader, and stands for strengthening the regional security, in particular in the BSEC, GUAM, CEI framework – under close cooperation with NATO and the European Union. Profound and irrevocable democratic transformations have today become the objective prerequisites for resolving the critical issues to fully achieve all the criteria required for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Our main priority is deepening the large-scale reforms in the political, economic, defense, security, legal, and other spheres aimed to enhance democratic institutions, wellbeing and security of the Ukrainian people. Activities aimed to raise, in a systematic and resolute manner, the public awareness of the broad range of issues of Ukraine’s cooperation with NATO continue to be significant. It is envisaged to essentially increase budget allocations to this end in the Programme of the Government. We hope that the progress achieved by Ukraine in the framework of the Intensified Dialogue on membership and relevant reforms will be recognized by the Alliance in the near future. Currently, Ukraine is interested in the accession to the NATO Membership Action Plan. We expect that the level of our state’s readiness for new commitments will become the basis for a positive response at the Ukraine-NATO forthcoming summit in Bucharest in April 2008.
Today, during his press briefing Olexandr Chalyy, deputy head of President Victor Yushchenko’s secretariat informed that letter to the NATO Secretary General was signed by Ukrainian leaders on January 11, 2008. O. Chalyy explained that this document is based on the idea that last 4 years of intensified dialogue between Ukraine and NATO were fruitful yet now require rising the level of cooperation in Ukrainian point of view. Minding that currently all branches of power in Ukraine share common strategic view on further cooperation with NATO we rise that question before our colleagues from North Atlantic Alliance. And this new level to Ukraine is accession to the NATO Membership Action Plan. As significance of this question to Ukrainian side has become obvious it now awaits response from the Alliance member states on the subject. “We have a clear-cut position of the President of Ukraine, of the Ukrainian Government, and of the Verkhovna Rada: when actual question of Ukraine’s NATO membership is discussed, consultative referendum shall be held”, - O. Chalyy added. To his mind the results of such referendum are important for both Ukraine and NATO because “It is not governments but countries and their nations join NATO”.
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