NEWSLETTER of
NATO – UKRAINE PARTNERSHIP NETWORK
[# 3]
LEGISLATION NEWS ON QUESTIONS OF EURO ATLANTIC INTEGRATION
PRESIDENT’S DECREE ¹ 116
From the 2nd of March 2009, Kyiv
Upon the approval of NATO – Ukraine Annual Target Plan within 2009
THE ACTIVITY OF NATO – UKRAINE PARTNERSHIP NETWORK
Electoral meeting of NATO – Ukraine Partnership Network on planning the activity within 2009
NATO – Ukraine Partnership Network for Civil Society Expertise Development initiated to develop expert surroundings for cooperation in the defence sector and works to foster partnerships between civil society organizations, in participating NATO and Partner countries.
On the 27th of January, 2009 during the meeting an assistance plan, aiming to facilitate national defence and security policy development to Ukrainian non – governmental sector, was examined, moreover, joint projects of NATO – Ukraine Partnership Network’s activity within the framework of NATO – Ukraine Active Plan on 2009 were talked over.
Second Academy of NATO
24-26 of February 2009 a Second Academy of NATO headlined "NATO – Alliance of values and solidarity" took place in Litki village on the base of "Metro". Ukraine – NATO Civic League, Danish Atlantic Treaty Association from Denmark, Atlantic Council of Ukraine, and the centre of information and documentation of NATO in Ukraine came out as organizers of this event.
The Academy traditionally assembled the most active representatives of Ukrainian state structures and civic organizations who are interested in further spreading the information on euroatlantic security in Ukrainian society. Public officials, state and regional administration representatives, representatives of state security and defence sector, Navy Forces of Ukraine in particular, Defence forces of Ukraine, representatives of civic organizations in Ukraine and students were involved in leading through the Academy.
Congratulating the participants of the Academy the Head of NATO – Ukraine Civic League Serhiy Dzherdzh noticed that similar measures allows to enlarge the network of euroatlantic centers over the whole Ukraine.
Troels Froling, Ivan Andresen – Danish Atlantic Treaty Association, political counsellor of Hungary Embassy in Ukraine – Laosh Sabo, president of the Atlantic Council in Ukraine – Vadym Hrechaninov, Mrs. Katarina Kovacheva – counsellor, assistant of extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Slovak Republic in Ukraine, Volodymyr Furashev – national centre on questions of euroatlantic integration and some others were present and made a speech in front of the Academy hearers.
Expert meeting under the auspices of the NATO – Ukraine Partnership Network for Civil Society Expertise Development
An expert meeting headlined: «National security of Ukraine in the XXI century» within the NATO – Ukraine Partnership Network for Civil Society Expertise Development was hosted by the Razumkov Center on the 11th of March, 2009.
The meeting continued the work begun with the October 2008 strategic assessment of Ukraine’s national security and included preparation of more detailed suggestions regarding possible measures in areas of primary importance for national security and recommendations as for the possible cooperation between Ukraine and foreign partners, including NATO.
While leading through the program various issues as the intensification of the global economic crisis; the worsening of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Russia; the changing framework of NATO – Ukraine relations were taken into the consideration.
Video – bridge KYIV - WARSAW
Video – bridge KYIV – WARSAW headlined: “The Future of NATO” within the program of Warsaw transatlantic forum took place on the 12th of March, 2009. The main purpose of this event was to discuss the future vision of the Alliance between Ukrainian and Polish activists of Atlantic integration. Video – bridge was hosted jointly with the Ukrainian and Polish Ministries of Foreign Affairs, NATO – Ukraine Civic League, the Atlantic Council in Ukraine, and Youth Center of Atlantic Council in Ukraine with the assistance of National Academy of State Management by the President of Ukraine.
10 years since first NATO enlargement (Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary); what have changed in Poland within 10 years while being a NATO member – state; Ukrainian state policy realization and NATO collaboration – those are the main themes that were examined during the video – bridge.
Warsaw transatlantic forum – a measure aimed to summarize a 10 year experience of our western partner under the NATO structures.
According to the materials of Ukraine’s expert community in consultation with
external experts through the NATO – Ukraine Partnership Network for Civil
Society Expertise Development
The Bucharest Summit’s confirmation of Ukraine’s perspectives to full membership to the Alliance, combined with the invariability of Ukraine’s strategic foreign policy course towards European and Euro Atlantic integration, provide Ukraine with perspectives of strategic stability. But at the same time they define a clear window of strategic vulnerability as well. To minimize the length and severity of that window, it is important to maintain the pace of Ukraine’s NATO integration.
In accordance with this goal, it is proposed to:
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Deepen NATO – Ukraine discussions on strategic issues related to regional security and Ukraine’s Euro – Atlantic integration, to increase the predictability of Ukraine’s relations with the Alliance and to reduce tensions in the relation with Russia.
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Enhance the substance of work under existing plans and cooperation formats to reach a qualitative level worthy of MAP (rather than focusing on a time frame for beginning MAP itself).
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Initiate cooperation projects that could produce results in the near team to demonstrate the value of cooperation to the broad public.
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Stimulate the non – governmental sector in contributing to and assessing the results of national security policy, as well as moving relevant issues onto the NATO – Ukraine agenda.
Specific projects could include:
- Assessing implementation of the NATO – Ukraine Action Plan, Annual Target Programs;
- Critical analysis of reform plans and security institution’s annual “white book” assessments;
- Independent, effect – based assessments of National Security Strategy implementation;
- Creation in Ukraine of an international school of strategic management in the security sector (for which some state funding is already committed for 2009).
