Page 18 - bne_newspaper_March_16_2018

Eastern Europe
March 16, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 18
Nato gives Ukraine aspirant country status
bne IntelliNews
Nato has granted Ukraine the status of an aspirant country, which means that Kyiv has officially declared its aspiration to join the military alliance.
“Nato's door remains open to any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership, and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area," the alliance's official site updated on March 9 reads. "Currently, four partner countries have declared their aspirations to Nato membership: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Ukraine."
The alliance has provided Ukraine with the status of an aspirant country after a significant delay
— over the past years the Ukrainian leadership repeatedly stated that the country's accession to the military alliance remains a strategic goal for the national leadership.
According to Ukrainian President Petro Po- roshenko, Ukraine's primary goal is to make its army more efficient and combat ready through cooperation with Nato because of the persistent threat of Russian invasion. Russia, in turn, re- mains firmly opposed to the further enlargement of the military alliance and the accession of more former Soviet republics after the three Baltic states joined in 2004.
Countries that have declared an interest in joining the Alliance are initially invited to engage in
an intensified dialogue with Nato about their membership aspirations and related reforms.
Nato grants Ukraine aspirant status
Aspirant countries may then be invited to partici- pate in the Membership Action Plan (MAP) to pre- pare for potential membership and demonstrate their ability to meet the obligations and commit- ments of possible future membership, according to Nato’s rules.
Countries aspiring to join Nato have to demon- strate that they are in a position to further the principles of the 1949 Washington Treaty and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. They are also expected to meet certain political, economic and military criteria, which are laid out in the 1995 study on Nato enlargement.
On March 10, Poroshenko hailed Nato’s move and thanked the alliance for its strong support for Ukraine. "I welcome the important, long-awaited and logical decision of Nato to increase Ukraine's ambitions regarding the Alliance," the president said in a statement published on his official Facebook page.
"This became a recognition of the real state of our relations with NATO," Poroshenko added. "Our next ambition is the Membership Action Plan for Ukraine. This was the subject of my letter to [Nato secretary general] Jens Stoltenberg of February 2018, where, with reference to Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, I formally stated Ukraine's aspiration to become a member of the alliance."
"The quiet diplomacy for advancing our principled positions, as agreed with our partners, gives its significant results," Poroshenko underlined. "We are moving forward confidently."