History of Ukraine-NATO relationship
Relations between Ukraine and NATO began to develop soon after the gain of Ukraine’s independence in 1991. It was as early as in January 1992 when a representative of Ukraine took part for the first time in the work of Work Group of high level in North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC).
In February 22-23 1992 NATO Secretary-General M.Verner had his first visit of to Kyiv, during which Ukraine was invited to NACC. Since then active contacts and cooperation with NATO began.
On 08.02.94 Ukraine was the first country of CIS to sign PfP Framework Document, and on 25.05.94 it provided NATO authorities with its Presentation document, in which political goals of Ukraine’s participation in PfP were determined, together with arrangements necessary to achieve these goals with means and powers allocated by Ukraine for participation in PfP.
Important steps in the development of NATO-Ukraine cooperation were: sittings of North Atlantic Council on September 14, 1995 and on March 20, 1997 with participation of Minister of Foreign affairs of Ukraine G.Udovenko, range of political and special consultations between Ukraine and NATO in “16+1” Format, held in 1995-1997, mutual visits on high level including first official visit of NATO Secretary General J.Solana to Ukraine on April 15-16 1996.
On 09.07.97 at Madrid Summit the President of Ukraine L.D.Kuchma had signed NATO-Ukraine Special Partnership Charter, which determines political commitments of sides on the highest level and explains the content of “special partnership” between NATO and Ukraine.
MAIN ARRANGEMENTS OF THE NATO-UKRAINE PARTNERSHIP AFTER THE SIGNATURE OF SPECIAL PARTNERSHIP CHARTER:
- Establishing of the mechanism of regular monitoring of cooperation and political consultations in the framework of NATO-Ukraine Commission on levels of ministers of foreign affairs, ministers of defense, and ambassadors;
- Establishing of the mechanism of informal joint meetings of State Interdepartmental Commission for NATO-Ukraine cooperation and NATO Political Committee;
- Creation of NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine in 1997;
- Establishing of Ukraine Mission to NATO in 1997 and assignment of Military representative;
- Creation of Joint Ukraine-NATO Military Reform Working Group in 1997;
- Creation in 1998 of Joint Ukraine-NATO Group in the framework of Memorandum of Understanding as for cooperation in civil emergency planning;
- Creation in 1998 NATO-Ukraine crisis consultation mechanism;
- Signature in 1998 of Memorandum between the Government of Ukraine and NATO as for the assignment of NATO Liaison Officers in Ukraine;
- Inauguration in April 1999 of NATO Liaison Office in Ukraine;
- Conducting in July 2001 of NATO/PfP Symposium in Kyiv;
- Celebration in July 2002 of the fifth anniversary from the signature of NATO-Ukraine Special Partnership Charter and meeting of Ukraine-NATO Commission on ambassadors’ level;
- Signature in July 2002 of Regulation of the President of Ukraine “About adoption of Ukraine Strategy as for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)”;
- Signature in July 2002 of Memorandum of Understanding between Ukraine and NATO as for the Host Nation Support in multinational exercises and peacekeeping operations;
- Ratification by Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in September 2002 of the Agreement about security between the Government of Ukraine and NATO (signed on 13.03.1995);
- Creation by the decision of the President of Ukraine the State Council of Ukraine as for the European and Euro Atlantic integration. First meeting of the Council was held on October 17, 2002;
- Signature of the Ukraine-NATO Action Plan and Targeted Ukraine-NATO Action Plan for 2003.
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