The secretary general of NATO Anders Fog Rasmussen names working out of the first Annual national program on preparation of Ukraine for acquisition of membership in Alliance the most important step forward. The secretary general of Alliance declared it in the beginning of Consultation Ukraine-NATO at the level of Ministers of Defence on Monday in Bruxelles, the press-service of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine informs.
So, as he said, the first Annual national program displaying tendency of deepening of cooperation, it contains steps directed on acceleration of process of realisation of internal reforms according to the Euroatlantic standards is being developed in Ukraine.
"It is the most important step forward. It is important not because NATO considers it so but because it will help Ukraine to get modernized, it also will benefit people of Ukraine. We render support and help to Ukraine in this modernization", - the secretary general of NATO said, "Interfax-Ukraine" informs.
From editorial board: It is possible to consider the words of Anders Fog Rasmussen as moral encouragement of Victor Yushchenko's candidate in the president as it doesn't cost the West anything in money equivalent and sometimes it can speak free of charge. Naturally, generous gift was taken with gratitude: "Ukraine considers North Atlantic Treaty Organization as guarantor of stability and safety on the Euroatlantic space and acquisition of membership in Alliance is a strategic target on which achievement activity of all public authorities of our state is directed", - acting Minister of Defence of Ukraine Valery Ivaschenko thanked.
However behind purely humanitarian mission of "the first step on the way to NATO" (some think that Ukraine took any steps earlier, for example, by sending soldiers to Afghanistan and Iraq but it's not considered) something real could follow. We will say it will not be enough to say simply: "Thank you, uncle" for encouragement of the secretary general of NATO, it will be necessary to do something - something having money value. For example, to limit development of military-industrial complex which already became the competitor on foreign markets not only to Russia (that is welcomed) but also to the NATO countries - that is already undesirable.
The same way attentively should be treated possible leaks of nuclear and rocket technologies making basis of shadow export from Ukraine which irritates the West by possibility of appearence of these technologies in undesirable countries, such as Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran, for example.
Naturally, withdrawal of the Russian fleet from Sevastopol and, as consequence, liquidation of repair and industrial base in this city which work load couldn't be provided by own fleet and simply unnecessary for the fleet of NATO countries become an axiom. The question of employment and formation of the budget of Sevastopol remains especially Intraukrainian business.
Moreover, actually the needs of the Ukrainian army reduce - firstly, in the course of inevitable reform it will be reduced 3 times and secondly, transition to NATO standards makes own military-industrial complex unnecessary. The armament of the new Ukrainian army should be done by means of foreign industrial base but at the expense of the national budget (most likely, on account of growth of external debt).
Restriction of possibility of military nuclear technologies, possibly, will result also in restriction of development of own atomic engineering - remaining the largest transiter of gas to Europe, Ukraine will pass to usage of own coal. As the mines are formally not privatized till now, it is rather probable that at the new president the Russian experience of creation of state corporations - first of all in the coal industry - will be used that, first of all, to beat out basis from under the feet of "Donetsk clan" and, in the second, to concentrate this strategic branch in hands of the ruling group.
А.B.
