Estonia Wants to Help Ukraine Join NATO
Estonian Defense Minister Juri LUIK said in Tallinn that his government will support Ukraine and Georgia in their accession to NATO. The Minister said that in drawing up the 2001 action plan in regard to his own country’s accession to the alliance, the Estonian government proceeded from the partnership plan for candidate countries worked out by NATO, which put forwards 62 conditions Estonia has to fulfill in order to join the alliance.
The partnership plan emphasizes support to the countries “which are oriented toward joining NATO, but have not yet been as successful on this path as Estonia.” This above all concerns Ukraine and Georgia, which will conclude special trilateral agreements with NATO and Estonia, the Minister said.
Up to now, the official comments of the Ukrainian leaders ruled out any orientation of Ukrainian foreign policy toward NATO accession, although there have been statements about Ukraine’s possible participation not in military blocs or unions, but rather in all-European security mechanisms. Expert data obtained from polling the population showed that for the moment most Ukrainians are not ready to accept the idea of Ukraine’s accession to NATO, while according to the data provided by Mr. Luik, 54% Estonians favor it, and only 20% are opposed.
In fact, even the existing Ukraine-NATO cooperation programs are fulfilled only by half, at best. “NATO may be willing to offer broader cooperation. But the point is whether Ukraine is able to conform to the required parameters,” one expert commented on the possible development of relations between Ukraine and NATO. Meanwhile, Ukrainian then Foreign Minister Borys TARASIUK, when taking office, said in an interview with The Day that in his estimation, the conditions, in which one could discuss the possibility of Ukraine’s future accession to NATO, could mature in five to seven years. The main issues were this country’s indicators of internal development and a favorable world situation.
At any rate, even if retaining its neutral status, which the Ukrainian leadership regards as anything but eternal, it would not be wise to rule out any possible assistance from Estonia in restructuring Ukraine’s system of military administration and its subordination to civil controls, which has become usual in the West.
