Kiev Approves Ukraine-NATO Annual Program Based On Allies' Membership Action Plans

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th February, 2020) The Ukrainian government said on Wednesday that it had passed the 2020 Ukraine-NATO Annual National Program (ANP), which is based on principles of NATO membership action plans of states that have already become members of the military alliance.

Last December, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, adopted a statement asking NATO member states' parliaments to help Kiev receive an action plan for becoming a NATO ally. The lawmakers also called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ensure the preparation and submission of an appeal confirming Kiev's intent to receive the action plan.

"The Government endorsed the Annual National Program (ANP) for 2020 which had been elaborated under the auspices of the NATO-Ukraine Commission and is based on a methodology of measured results, focuses on human security, contains a monitoring mechanism for the implementation, and builds on the principles, structure and content of NATO membership action plans of countries that had become members of the Alliance," the cabinet said in a statement.

The government added that the ANP-2020 provided for both security and defense sector reforms, as well as democratic reforms in Ukraine.

"The Annual National Program for 2020 has been written in the NATO language, the language of concrete measurable results, and addresses specific problems in particular areas of reform, as well as focuses primarily on human security and well-being. This roadmap for Euro-Atlantic reforms reliably leads our country to high NATO standards," Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during the meeting, as quoted in the statement.

According to the Kiev official, the program was a key tool for Ukraine's integration into NATO.

In February of last year, the Ukrainian parliament adopted amendments to the constitution that enshrined the country's aspirations for EU and NATO membership. At the same time, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn stated that it was unrealistic to talk about Ukraine's membership of the European Union in the coming years. The official advised Kiev to concentrate on implementing the association agreement with the EU.

Ukraine canceled its non-aligned status after a power change in 2014 and confirmed its intent to join NATO. NATO officials have repeatedly said that the country needs to implement a wide range of reforms before pursuing membership in the alliance.