Ukraine's activities within the framework of the EAPC

Among the EAPC issues: crisis management and peacekeeping operations, regional issues, arms control and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, defense planning, budgeting, policy and strategy development, action planning in the event of civil emergencies and disaster preparedness, armaments cooperation, nuclear safety, coordination of civil and military air traffic management, scientific cooperation, support for international efforts to promote UN Security Council Resolution 321325 on women , peace and security, and the fight against human trafficking. In addition, the EAPC has launched initiatives to promote and coordinate practical cooperation and exchange of experience in key areas, including counter-terrorism, border protection and other issues related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, small arms and light weapons.

In 2011, NATO reviewed its policy of cooperation with Partners. Package of documents on this issue, namely: "Active involvement in security through cooperation: a more effective and flexible partnership policy", "Improving NATO's partnership management - a menu of cooperation and individual programs" and "Political-military framework for involving partners in operations" led by NATO, ”was approved at a meeting of Foreign Ministers in Berlin on 15 April 2011.

The Ukrainian side is actively involved in the EAPC activities, in particular, in the meetings at the level of ambassadors both in the EAPC format and in an expanded format - with the participation of representatives of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, the Mediterranean Dialogue, and also Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Afghanistan, Jordan, the UAE and Japan; at meetings of the NATO Policy and Partnership Committee in the EAPC format. At these events, the participants are informed about the position of the Ukrainian state on the new policy of Alliance partnerships, the introduction of new forms, including flexible formats of cooperation with 28 + n partners, involvement of Ukraine in NATO-led operations and missions.

On 27-28 September 2012, for the first time in Ukraine, an international conference entitled “NATO and Partners: New Security Challenges” was held in Kyiv at the Diplomatic Academy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine with the participation of high-level experts from 29 countries. The level of organization and conduct of the event was highly appreciated by representatives of NATO member countries and the Alliance's International Secretariat. The most notable event in the framework of the EAPC in 2013 was the holding of a meeting in this format at the level of ambassadors (November 12, 2013), the main issue on the agenda of which was the implementation of the priorities of Ukraine's chairmanship in the OSCE. The participants of the event received detailed information from the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to International Organizations in Vienna, Ambassador I. Prokopchuk on the results achieved by the Ukrainian side at the head of the Organization, which shares common values ​​with NATO and responds to security challenges. The EAPC praised Ukraine's efforts, noted the active role of the Ukrainian presidency in resolving protracted conflicts, initiating a dialogue between our country on conventional arms control, and formulating a decision to involve the OSCE in supporting the 2014 elections in Afghanistan.

There was a balanced approach to the Organization's activities during the year of the Ukrainian presidency and the usefulness of such a dialogue on the eve of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Kyiv.

At the EAPC meeting at the level of ambassadors (May 15, 2013) the issues of cooperation in the field of destruction of surplus weapons were discussed. The Ukrainian side informed the participants of the event about the experience gained in the implementation of NATO / PfP Trust Fund projects in Ukraine to destroy surplus weapons systems, ammunition, small arms, and anti-personnel mines.

Ukrainian representatives also take an active part in the EAPC Policy and Partnership Committee meetings, which discuss the Science for Peace and Security program, its structure, mechanisms, key priorities and projects implemented within its framework.

In accordance with paragraph 8 of the Partnership for Peace Framework Document, an emergency meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) was held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 14 March 2014 at the request of Ukraine on the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. in connection with the illegal military invasion of Russia, as well as the impact of these events on the security of the Euro-Atlantic area as a whole.

Speaking at the meeting, the Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Ambassador I. Dolgov stressed that Russia's actions for the first time in the 20-year history of the EAPC forced the application of the provisions of its basic document from 1997. with the existence of a real threat to the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area. It was regretted that this threat arose within the EAPC and stemmed from the actions of one of the founding members of the forum. The Ukrainian side informed the EAPC participants in detail about the confirmed facts of unprecedented invasion of the Russian armed forces into Ukraine, which is a violation of all existing international norms and bilateral agreements between the countries and undermines the spirit of friendship between Ukrainian and Russian peoples. The actions of the so-called current Crimean authorities, which contradict the Constitution of Ukraine and the norms of international law, were assessed.

Representatives of all EAPC member states that took part in the discussion unanimously supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Ukrainian state, strongly condemned the intervention of the Russian armed forces on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and called on the Russian side to withdraw its units. to relieve tensions, thus, to start, including through international mediation, a direct dialogue with the new authorities of Ukraine in order to find ways to resolve the crisis. Separately, the Russian side was called upon to stop preparations for the so-called referendum in Crimea, which the international community unanimously assesses as illegal and illegitimate, the results of which will not be recognized.