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EUROPEAN STABILITY AND NATO ENLARGEMENT: UKRAINE'S PERSPECTIVE

Hennadiy Udovenko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Among the dramatic changes which have recently occurred in Europe is the emergence of an independent Ukraine with its population of 52 million. Ukraine supports NATO's efforts to bring the Allies and the nations of Central and Eastern Europe closer together, and understands the aspirations of countries in this region to become members of the Alliance although it has no immediate plans to do so itself. Ukraine believes, however, that any NATO enlargement must be part of an evolutionary process and that during the period of transition special attention must be paid to the implementation of the Partnership for Peace programme.

In recent years, Europe has seen a flow of radical political, ideological and psychological changes that have made our continent dramatically different from the Europe we lived in only five years ago.

The end of global confrontation, the collapse of the former Communist bloc and the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet Union brought about new dimensions to the situation in Europe, including to the sphere of security. The Cold War ended and the threat of global conflict vanished, adding to our general feeling of a more secure world. On the other hand, new risks and challenges, sometimes unforeseen, emerged on the scene. To name only a few of the new dangers that represent a big challenge to overall European stability one could mention the security imbalance between the Western and Eastern parts of the continent, numerous ethnic and other local conflicts, open and hidden territorial claims and border disputes.

In speaking about the dramatic changes in Europe, it would not be an exaggeration to claim that the appearance of an independent Ukrainian state with a population of 52 million proved to be one of the biggest geopolitical developments since Yalta and Potsdam. Therefore, the gradual and organic integration of Ukraine into the European and world communities as a natural and reliable democratic partner, is one of the top priorities of our foreign policy. That is why we attach such great importance to the issue of building up a comprehensive all-European security system with Ukraine becoming part and parcel of such a system.

The complexities of the transformations taking place in the Euro-Atlantic area stem from the development of national interests and priorities in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union and the need for these to be balanced with the interests of the Western democracies. They also result from the different approaches by some countries and groups of countries towards the role and functions of the European security structures and institutions, and these approaches are shaped, among other things, by the emergence of the new risks and challenges to which I have already referred.

The specific feature of today's international situation in Central and Eastern Europe is the absence of any structural mechanisms for maintaining security and stability in the region.

The existing European security structures, the North Atlantic Alliance in particular, were originally created to protect the interests of the so-called Western community and its system of values. These structures contributed to preserving stability in at least a part of Europe by both defending the area under their protection and smoothing out the differences between the member countries. The Euro-Atlantic structure is therefore perceived by public opinion in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe as the only efficient means of securing protection from an outside threat, as well as providing the political stability needed for the further development of democracy and the free market economy.

The NATO enlargement debate

Ukraine shares the view that NATO has a substantial role in ensuring peace, stability, democracy and the prosperity of Western Europe and the wider transatlantic area. We are far from regarding the Alliance as a relic of the Cold War, and this attitude stems from our recognition that NATO has embarked on an active post-Cold War search for a means of addressing the new realities and challenges and is engaged in a process of transformation.

As a vivid example of this transformation, we supported the NATO initiatives for bringing closer the Allies and countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well as other countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), especially through the NACC machinery and the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme. Our commitment to this new partnership is derived not only from our interest in developing a closer relationship with NATO, but also from a desire to contribute to strengthening mutual trust and understanding between European nations.

In this context, we welcome the prospects of closer cooperative relations between the Alliance and Russia as well as the latter's active participation in PfP.

We also consider that the open interest of the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe in becoming members of the Alliance should influence NATO to thoroughly reconsider its role in modern Europe and to develop itself by an evolutionary process from a collective defence organization into a collective security institution, thus becoming a possible nucleus for a future all-European security system that would encompass other mutually complementary, interlocking institutions. For its part, Ukraine, regarding itself as an integral part of the Central and Eastern European region, and taking into account its unique geopolitical situation and its declared non-bloc status, sees itself very much as a participant in the European security debate and as a full-scale organic part of the new European security architecture. It should be stressed in this respect that Ukraine's decision to become part of an all-European security system is legislatively determined as a basic element of our national security, as reflected in such documents as the Military Doctrine and Basic Principles of External Policy of Ukraine which has been adopted by the Parliament.

In thinking about the future, and as a country situated in the heart of Europe, Ukraine is aware that any rise in new security "dividing lines" on the Continent could pose the greatest danger to both European and international stability. This awareness leads us to keep a close eye on the issue of a possible NATO expansion and its would-be consequences.

Ukraine understands the aspiration of Central and Eastern European states to become members of NATO and to contribute to the Alliance's review of its role in contemporary Europe. In this context, we share the view that nobody has the right to veto any country's inherent right to seek the most effective means of ensuring its national security, including membership of military and political organizations such as NATO. Ukraine, in principle, had never put forward objections to the idea of possible NATO enlargement.

On the other hand, the unquestionable "no vetoes" principle vis-a-vis enlargement must not be interpreted as implying that enlargement should be implemented without due regard for the security concerns of other interested countries (including non-applicants for membership) whose stability and security may, in one way or another, be affected by this process. This is our clear understanding of the "indivisibility of security" principle, which is and should remain a consensual standard for uniting Europe.

European security system

The results of the OSCE Budapest Summit in 1994, and the subsequent developments, showed that there is no consensus among the OSCE member states concerning the ways and mechanisms of settling the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, nor on the approaches for the creation of a comprehensive European security system. We have even heard such phrases as "cold peace" which have been used for the first time since the Berlin Wall collapsed. Under these circumstances, an instant and artificially accelerated NATO enlargement is likely to trigger among a substantial segment of the population and public opinion of the states of the former USSR, thinking analogous to the mentality of the Cold War period.

Most of all, Ukraine would like to avoid these fears becoming transformed into reality and finding itself - even hypothetically - in a position of "a buffer zone" or a "cordon sanitaire" between the two military groupings.

Ukraine, as is set out in its main legislative documents, still adheres to the policy of non-participation in military alliances and has not put the issue of NATO membership on the agenda for the time being. This aspect is important when Ukraine pursues its national security objectives by, inter alia, developing cooperation both with Western Europe and Russia and other CIS states. The re-emergence under new circumstances of bloc-to-bloc alienation threatens to force Ukraine to seek security by choosing sides across new lines of division. Such a dramatic change in the regional situation would definitely be a most unhappy development for the cause of building a stable and united Europe.

Against this background, Ukraine firmly believes that any possible NATO enlargement should not be seen as revolutionary, speedy and momentous, but rather as an evolutionary process. A certain time-frame is needed to allow for the development of a vision by all the European states of the Alliance's new role and place, and for working out adequate mechanisms for an inclusive, cooperative relationship of all the interested parties. All of them should agree on the specific role of NATO within the future European security system in consistent interaction with other structures. NACC may be of considerable value in this respect as a framework for a thorough consideration of this issue.

We are also deeply convinced that during this period of transition special and active attention should be given to the implementation of the Partnership for Peace programme and to the effective use of the opportunities which it offers to all the interested states for developing practical cooperation with NATO. PfP should not be overshadowed by current security discussions, including those on the issue of enlargement.

The enlargement issue is undoubtedly not an easy one and simply adding new members is not the answer. No less important is the question of how to incorporate the changing NATO into a broader framework of the emerging European security system, ensuring that this process is smooth and natural. The need for an 'indivisible framework' for European security calls for the Alliance itself to begin a profound reconsideration of its role in modern Europe and to widen the scope of its evolutionary transformation into a collective security institution interlocking with other international security structures.

The essential component of this formula should be the institutionalization of the network of relations and cooperation with non-applicants - both within the multilateral framework of PfP and, where necessary, a bilateral framework. Ukraine is ready to be actively involved in shaping such a network and to deepen its relations with NATO.

Viewing the prospects for a Ukraine-NATO dialogue, we should concentrate on finding ways and modalities of working out a closer formal structure in the context of "special relations" which stretch beyond the framework of PfP. Ukraine is definitely interested in a relationship with the Alliance which will embrace both regular political and close military ties and allow for the specifics of NATO-Ukraine security consultations to be conducted on a regular basis, as well as for direct participation in some of NATO's bodies, whose spheres of activity are of particular interest to Ukraine. This must be understood as creating the sort of environment which includes both '16+1' and wider multilateral formulae, keeps future options open, is connected to the general development of a new European security architecture, and is not considered by any country as infringing upon its security interests.