NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the Alliance and Ukraine already have all the tools necessary for the country to move forward on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration.
He said this at a press conference in Brussels on March 14, responding to a question from the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency about whether Kyiv can expect this year to the Enhanced Opportunities Partners program and a Membership Action Plan (MAP). Stoltenberg was also asked about how Ukraine’s presidential elections will influence the decision of NATO members on this question.
“We have already many different tools in place: the national annual program, the Ukraine-NATO Commission, the different partnerships, activities, so we have all that in place. There are a lot of tools that can be used to strengthen our partnership, and help Ukraine move toward Euro-Atlantic integration,” he said.
Asked whether Ukraine and Georgia would be invited to attend the meeting of [NATO-member] foreign ministers, which will take place in Washington, D.C., in April dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the creation of NATO, the secretary general said, “The foreign ministerial meeting in Washington will be for the 29 NATO allies. This will be a very short meeting. Only half a day.”
“The day before the actual meeting we will have a reception and a way to celebrate the 70th anniversary. To that event we’ll invite representatives from different partner countries,” he said.
