PEACE & SECURITY | Creating a more stable world
04 April 2008
NATO Foreign Ministers to Reconsider Ukraine's Membership
Membership could be offered in December
Washington -- NATO leaders say that Ukraine's request to join the security alliance will be reconsidered at the December NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
In a post-meeting communiqué of the NATO-Ukraine Commission April 4, the commission said it "agreed that Ukraine will become a member of NATO." President Bush had announced April 1 during a visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, that the United States fully supported both Ukraine and Georgia for membership.
The NATO foreign ministers will reconsider Ukraine's application after addressing some lingering issues, the communiqué said. If they agree that Ukraine has resolved remaining questions, then they will likely issue a Membership Action Plan to begin the process.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko welcomed the action by the commission, saying it marks a "clear signal on future relations of Ukraine with NATO."
At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO accepted Albania and Croatia into the alliance and strongly indicated that as soon as a name dispute with Greece is resolved, the Republic of Macedonia also will be admitted. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said that membership in NATO is important for two reasons: to enhance regional security for alliance members and neighboring nations and to advance democracy.
The commission acknowledged progress Ukraine already has made in achieving relevant reforms, but stressed "the importance of Ukraine's commitment to continue to implement political, economic, defense and security sector reform." The commission also noted that Ukraine is the only member of the Partnership for Peace nations that has provided support to all NATO-led operations and missions worldwide.
In addition to instituting a set of reforms that is required of every NATO member nation, Ukraine also has aligned its national security strategy more closely with Euro-Atlantic norms and standards, the communiqué said.
