We, the Foreign Ministers of the NATO-Ukraine
Commission (NUC), met today in Antalya,
Turkey, to
review progress made on our joint cooperative agenda. We also discussed the
security situation in eastern Ukraine,
the implementation of the Minsk agreements and
prospects for a lasting settlement, as well as the situation in the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea of Ukraine.
We reaffirm our strong commitment to an
independent, peaceful and prosperous Ukraine. We stand firm in our
support for Ukraine’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized
borders and Ukraine’s
right to decide its own future and foreign policy course free from outside
interference, as set out in the Helsinki Final Act. We strongly condemn Russia’s aggressive actions and
continued violation of international law and its international
obligations. We call on Russia
to fully abide by international law.
More than one year has passed since Russia’s illegal and illegitimate self-declared
“annexation” of Crimea, which we do not, and will not, recognize,
and which we call on Russia
to reverse. We are deeply concerned
about the worsening human rights situation on the peninsula. We urge Russia
to respect the rights and freedoms of the entire local population, including
the native Crimean Tatars and other members of local communities, and to allow
for international monitoring of the human rights situation in Crimea. We condemn Russia’s
ongoing and wide-ranging military build-up in Crimea, and are concerned by Russia’s efforts and stated plans for further
military build-up in the Black Sea region,
which will potentially have further implications for the stability of the
region. We are also deeply concerned by statements of the Russian leadership
with regard to possible future stationing of nuclear weapons and their delivery
systems in Crimea, which would be
destabilizing.
We reaffirm our strong support for the
settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine by diplomatic means and
dialogue. We welcome the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements signed on
12 February 2015 and the accompanying Declaration of the four Heads of State
and Government, and support the efforts of the OSCE and its Special Monitoring
Mission (SMM). We welcome the initial
steps taken to implement the Package of Measures, including most recently the
convening of the working groups under the Trilateral Contact Group. However, we are concerned by the ceasefire
violations along the line of contact primarily by Russian-backed separatists,
the use of heavy weapons, and the continued Russian support for separatists,
including the transfer of weapons, which are all in contradiction to the Minsk agreements. We are
also concerned by the continued obstruction of the work of the OSCE SMM,
principally by the separatists, as well as increased number of incidents which
threaten the monitors’ safety and security.
We call for full adherence to the ceasefire and permanent and unfettered
access for the OSCE SMM to implement its mandate.
All signatories to the Minsk agreements bear responsibility to
comply with the commitments to which they signed up, and to ensure their full
implementation. Russia has a significant responsibility in this regard; it must
stop its continued and deliberate destabilization of eastern Ukraine through
its political, military and financial support for militants, withdraw its
forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory and along the Ukrainian
border, and fully support a political solution of the conflict, which has
claimed more than six thousand lives and gravely affected the humanitarian
situation for civilians. Russia
must also use its influence over the separatists to ensure that they abide by
the terms of the Minsk
agreements. All hostages and unlawfully detained persons must be released,
including Nadia Savchenko and Oleg Sentsov.
Allies welcome the steps undertaken by the
Government of Ukraine to promote key constitutional reforms and
reconciliation. The work of the
Constitutional Commission and the local elections scheduled for October 2015
should be instrumental in decentralizing power, promoting an inclusive
political process, and further consolidating the rule of law and democracy in Ukraine. Recognising the
challenging circumstances, Allies strongly encourage the Government of Ukraine
to continue reform efforts and wherever possible, accelerate them. The success of these wide-ranging reforms,
including combating corruption and promoting an inclusive political process,
based on democratic values, respect for human rights, minorities and the rule
of law, will be crucial in laying the groundwork for a prosperous and peaceful
Ukraine firmly anchored among European democracies committed to common
values. Allies will continue to support Ukraine
in its pursuit of deep and comprehensive reforms, including through the Annual
National Programme (ANP).
Our increasingly close cooperation in the
framework of our Distinctive Partnership will enhance Ukraine’s ability to provide for
its own security, and further improve the interoperability between Ukrainian
and NATO Forces. As stated in Wales, all 28 Allies are enhancing support for Ukraine,
including through NATO. Allies have deployed additional support to the NATO
Liaison Office in Kyiv and provided advisors to the Government of Ukraine,
including the Ministry of Defence. We are making
progress on the Trust Funds on command, control, communications and computers,
logistics and standardization, cyber defence,
military career transition and medical rehabilitation of injured servicemen and
exploring the possibility of additional Trust Funds to support Ukraine. We will continue to strengthen our
cooperation as Ukraine
proceeds with work on defence and security sector
reforms, strategic communications, and capacity-building projects through the
Science for Peace and Security Programme. We look forward to Ukraine’s hosting of the field
exercise of the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre in
September 2015 in Yavoriv near Lviv. Ukraine
looks forward to further deepening its strategic dialogue and information
exchange with the Alliance.
Ukraine welcomes the humanitarian, medical
and other non-lethal support being provided by many Allies on a bilateral
basis. It also welcomes Allies’ bilateral assistance aimed at helping Ukraine
better defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Recalling earlier statements of the
NATO-Ukraine Commission, we reiterate that an independent, sovereign and stable
Ukraine,
firmly committed to democracy and the rule of law, is key
to Euro-Atlantic security.
