KIEV, May 27 (Itar-Tass) - The question on Ukraine’s membership of NATO has been shelved now, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko on Thursday at the ninth interdepartmental meeting on coordination of activities of bodies of executive power in foreign affairs.
“The idea of Ukraine’s membership of the alliance does not enjoy support of the majority of Ukrainians and is destructive for efficiency of the state’s foreign policy,” the minister explained.
He noted at the same time that Kiev would continue developing relations with NATO. “We jotted out from the agenda the question on a membership of the alliance. Precisely this approach is in full compliance with the present state of affairs,” Grishchenko emphasised.
He reckons at the same time that participation in international organisations is an urgent thing for Ukraine. “This gives a chance to use the best international experience and resources for the country’s development,” Grishchenko said.
On Wednesday, first deputy secretary of the Ukrainian Security Council Stepan Gavrish said by the results of a meeting of the joint working Ukraine-NATO group that the Ukrainian side “refrains from the ideology of speedy accession to military-political amalgamations”.
According to the deputy secretary, this stand “will help to concentrate attention and resources on carrying out large-scale social and economic reforms, necessary for the country, and to ensure stable development”. At the same time, “preserving the dynamics of the political dialogue with NATO, Ukraine started establishing strategic partnership with Russia,” Gavrish added.
The Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council had approved the strategy of the country’s relations with NATO in May 2002 whose final aim was to join the North Atlantic alliance. Starting from 1997, Ukraine and NATO have been cooperating in the framework of the signed charter on special partnership.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15168977&PageNum=0
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Just published: an article by Mark Sedgwick (me) on "The Traditionalist
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