Ukraine starts preparations for NATO accession
23/05/2006 16:46 KIEV, May 23 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko Tuesday instructed the government to form a committee to coordinate preparations for the country's accession to NATO.
The new committee will serve as a consultative body reporting to the president, and will prepare proposals and recommendations to improve Ukraine's integration into Europe, coordinate state activities aimed at joining NATO, and develop and implement draft legislation and the NATO Action Plan.
Ukraine's defense minister said Friday the country had already started implementation of the Action Plan. He said Ukraine had been improving its combat readiness, and working on transparency and social protection for military servicemen, which are all steps under the plan.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry will provide the necessary organizational support for the new committee, the president's press service said.
Many Russian officials have said that NATO enlargement and the accession of Ukraine and Georgia to the bloc is a sensitive issue for Russia, which would need to spend considerable sums on reorienting its military capabilities.
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