Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Ukraine and NATO will enhance cooperation for peace

The NSDC session with participation of the NATO Secretary General and the signed documents open new prospects for Ukraine-NATO cooperation, as stated by President Petro Poroshenko following the session.
The President thanked the Secretary General and the NATO member-states for their huge assistance to Ukraine in these difficult times. “We highly appreciate your willingness to enhance practical interaction with Ukraine,” the Head of State emphasized.

“Our cooperation has already brought concrete results and has prospects for the further development. We receive efficient assistance from our NATO partners in the improvement of our defense capability,” the President said. The Head of State noted that the mechanism of information exchange had been established. 317 severely wounded Ukrainian servicemen have undergone treatment and rehabilitation in the NATO countries.


According to the President, relations with NATO are currently perceived by Ukraine as special partnership, which is an integral part of the European integration course.

Having noted historic nature of today’s NSDC session, the President said that 18 months ago NATO experts and advisors didn’t have a right to enter the premises of the Defense Ministry, General Staff and Security Service. “A great distance has been passed on the establishment of cooperation, coordination and efficient interaction between Ukraine and NATO over these 18 months,” Petro Poroshenko said.

The documents signed today create new parameters and mechanisms of interaction between Ukraine and NATO. The status of NATO Mission to Ukraine will be raised. The road map of cooperation in the sphere of strategic communications contains efficient and coordinated actions aimed to confront Russian information aggression not only against Ukraine, but also against NATO countries, as stated by the President.

“Ukraine doesn’t need lethal weaponry, it needs an opportunity to efficiently defend its territories,” the President said.

The President notes that joint training with participation of 34 countries in Lviv proved that efficient coordination, interaction and information exchange are useful for all the parties. “The first training of rescue services in Ukraine were targeted at peace, not at war. Their purpose is to save human lives, improve interaction and mutual assistance in emergencies. It is very symbolic,” Petro Poroshenko said.

In his turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted the leadership of Petro Poroshenko and his personal role in the enhancement of interaction between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and NATO Forces. He emphasized that NATO member-states support the reformation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

He is also content with the level of interaction and partnership between Ukraine and NATO. “NATO can count on Ukraine and Ukraine can count on NATO,” Jens Stoltenberg said.

Speaking of the situation in the east of Ukraine, the Secretary General assured the President of NATO’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. He called the Minsk agreements the only way towards political settlement, which can restore control of Ukraine over its borders.

The NATO Secretary General also noted the importance of constitutional amendments on decentralization in Ukraine.


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