NATO-UKRAINE
COMMISSION
AT AMBASSADORIAL
LEVEL
MONDAY, 9 JULY 2007
OPENING STATEMENT BY THE
SECRETARY GENERAL
Good afternoon.
Ten years ago today, in
Madrid, the heads of State and
Government of Ukraine and the member states of NATO signed the Charter on a
Distinctive Partnership, which established this commission, the NATO-Ukraine
Commission. Today we have the
opportunity to celebrate all we have achieved over the past decade in the
framework of this unique Partnership, and more importantly, to look ahead to the
future of the NATO-Ukraine relationship.
Over the past ten years, NATO and
Ukraine have steadily intensified their
cooperation in strengthening security and stability throughout the Euro-Atlantic
area, and we have achieved concrete results.
Ukraine, which is the only Partner state
to contribute to all current NATO-led operations, has made a very
important contribution to our common security, and the
Alliance highly appreciates
this.
The work we have accomplished
together, to make Ukraines armed forces more modern, more
capable, more interoperable with Allied forces and better suited to
Ukraines own national security needs has
yielded direct benefits for the Alliance.
In 2005, we took a major step
forward in our relationship, with the launch of the Intensified Dialogue on
Ukraines membership aspirations and
relevant reforms.
The Intensified Dialogue has
helped us gain greater transparency on
Ukraines reform efforts, and areas
where NATO or individual Allies might provide
assistance.
Our doors, as we have said many
times, remain open. But decisions
about the future of our Distinctive Partnership are very much in the hands of
Ukraines people and their elected
leaders.
Par son
engagement constant en faveur de réformes fondamentales et un consensus
politique tangible reposant sur une information complète et précise du public au
sujet de lAlliance et du partenariat OTAN-Ukraine, lUkraine peut atteindre ses
objectifs déclarés dintégration euro-atlantique.
Une chose
reste claire. La coopération
OTAN-Ukraine a amélioré et continuera daméliorer très concrètement la sécurité
de la population ukrainienne.
Les efforts menés en coopération dans le cadre du Groupe de travail
conjoint sur la réforme de la défense de la COU ont renforcé le contrôle
démocratique de la société civile sur les forces armées ukrainiennes. Ces efforts doivent se poursuivre et il
convient daffecter les ressources appropriées aux tâches très ambitieuses à
mener.
Permettez-moi de souligner une fois encore lintérêt de la présente
Commission en tant que forum pour un dialogue politique franc et ouvert, ainsi
que limportance dun partenariat fort et durable entre lOTAN et
lUkraine.
Jinvite
lAmbassadeur de lUkraine, Monsieur Morozov, à nous faire une déclaration
liminaire.