DEVELOPING CONSTRUCTIVE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN UKRAINE AND NATO

Constructive partnership with NATO is one of the important areas of Ukraine’s security policy. It is aimed at interacting in countering conventional and emerging challenges and threats and helps Ukraine to achieve up-to-date standards of development and defence capacity.

The fundamental documents of Ukraine-NATO relations are the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between Ukraine and the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization, signed on 9 July 1997, and the Declaration to Complement the Charter, signed on
21 August 2009.

The Law of Ukraine “On the Foundations of Domestic and Foreign Policy”, adopted on 1 July 2010, reflected Ukraine’s intention as a European non-block state to continue constructive partnership with NATO.

NATO’s new Strategic Concept, adopted at the Lisbon summit of this organization on 19-20 November 2010, reaffirms the Alliance’s readiness to continue and develop partnership with Ukraine.

Coordination of the development of constructive partnership

The Commission for Ukraine’s Partnership with the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization coordinates internal efforts to develop constructive partnership between Ukraine and NATO on issues of mutual interest.

The Commission is a consultative body to the President of Ukraine. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is the head of the Commission. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was assigned a leading role in coordinating cooperation with the Alliance. The Commission includes five National Coordinators to the following areas – political and economic issues, defence and military issues, resources (financial) issues, security issues, legal issues.

Political contacts, NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC)

Continuous political contacts and the activity of the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC) contribute to the development of the Ukraine-NATO constructive partnership. NUC is the main mechanism of the bilateral dialogue, established in 1997 according to the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership.

In 2010 several visits to Ukraine by the NATO Deputy Secretaries General were paid and a number of NUC meetings were held to discuss topical bilateral and general security issues of mutual concern.

On 23 September 2010 President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the sidelines of the 65^th session of the UN General Assembly.

On 20 November 2010 Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kostyantyn Gryshchenko participated in a Meeting of countries contributing to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, held on the sidelines of the Lisbon Summit.

The Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took part in activities of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council met regularly.

Annual National Programmes (ANP)

Annual National Programme (ANP) is a key practical instrument of reforms in Ukraine. The ANPs were launched in accordance with the decisions of the NATO North-Atlantic Council (NAC) ministerial held on 2-3 December 2008.

The ANP is approved by the President of Ukraine. The Action Plan on the ANP’s implementation is drafted and approved by the Ukrainian Government. Both the ANP and the Action Plan consist of five chapters – political and economic issues, defence and military issues, resources, security and legal issues. The ANP and the Action Plan are implemented by central organs of executive power, other state bodies as well as by NGOs.

The results of the implementation of the Annual National Programme are assessed by NATO. This assessment is taken into account while preparing the ANP for the following year.

Ukraine implemented the first ANP in 2009 and the second one – in 2010. NATO gave positive assessment of the implementation of these documents.

Joint Working Groups under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission

To develop practical cooperation under the auspices of NUC five Ukraine-NATO Joint Working Groups were established: on Defence Reform; on Defence Technical Cooperation; on Economic Security; on Civil Emergency Planning; on Scientific and Environmental Cooperation.

Ukraine–NATO Staff Talks on Intelligence Sector Reform in Ukraine and Ukraine–NATO Expert Staff Talks on Cyber Defence take place under the auspices of the Ukraine–NATO Joint Working Group on Defence Reform.

Ukraine’s participation in NATO-led missions

Ukraine remains the only partner of the Alliance participating in all main current peacekeeping missions under the NATO command.

Ukrainian peacekeepers participate in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) as a part of Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Ghor, NATO Training Mission - Iraq (NTM-I), in Kosovo Force (KFOR). Ukraine also participates in NATO-led anti-terrorist operation “Active Endeavour” in the Mediterranean Sea.

Ukraine-NATO cooperation in reforming security and defence sector. Cooperation in military and military-technical spheres

Ukraine-NATO cooperation in reforming security and defence sectors, in the military and military-technical spheres is being developed through Ukraine-NATO Joint Working Groups. This is done on the basis of bilateral cooperation with the Alliance’s member countries as well as Ukraine’s participation in the NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” and other programmes.

Ukraine cooperates with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the sphere of air situation data exchange.

Ukraine interacts with NATO member countries and partners in conducting joint exercises.

In 2010, Ukraine was the first partner country that joined the NATO Response Force (NRF). In July-December 2010 Ukraine‘s Armed Forces platoon specialized in nuclear, biological and chemical threats participated in the 15^th rotation of the NRF.

Ukraine and Russia continue to jointly provide 18 NATO members and partners with strategic airlift capabilities under the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution (SALIS) Programme.

Ukraine participates in the NATO/PfP Trust Fund project for the destruction of conventional ammunition, small arms and light weapons, and man-portable air defence systems in Ukraine as well as in NATO/PfP Trust Fund Resettlement Programme on social adaptation and retraining of retired military personnel including as a consequence of Ukraine’s military reform.

Cooperation in eliminating non-military threats

In 2010 Ukraine was the first partner country that launched cooperation with NATO in the area of cyber defence.

Cooperation in the fight against money laundering, trafficking of drugs and arms, as well as human trafficking is under way.

Ukraine continues cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). In July 2010, with the support of the Centre, Ukraine received assistance from the Slovak Republic in combating natural disaster in Chernivtsy region, caused by heavy rains. Ukraine rendered humanitarian assistance to Poland and Tajikistan (in May), Hungary (in June), Moldova (in September) for overcoming the effects of floods in these countries.

Cooperation in science and environmental protection spheres

The development of the Ukrainian Research and Academic Network (URAN) funded by the NATO grant; monitoring and forecasting floods in the basin of Prypyat River, contaminated with radioactive isotopes as a result of the Chornobyl disaster; the joint project aimed at building a unique high-energy x-rays equipment providing high resolution imaging in the field of medicine, explosion and forensic detection and environmental security based in Kharkiv National Science Centre are among the current key Ukraine-NATO projects within the Alliance’s programme “Science for Peace and Security”.