Rice reminded of promise to give Ukraine the MAP

Ukraine has again heard words of support for its Euro-Atlantic ambitions. This time they were said in the lobby of the UN General Assembly in New York, where the world’s leaders were gathering for the 63rd session. During her talks with Ukraine’s Minister of Fo­reign Affairs Volodymyr Oh­ryz­ko, US Secretary of State Con­do­leezza Rice reassured him of Washington’s consistent support for Ukraine’s desire to join NATO.

According to Radio Liberty, the US Secretary of the State reminded Ohryzko of the promise that was given at the Bucharest NATO summit to grant Ukraine the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP). “Of course, we have always supported and will continue to support Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic ambitions in the future. Our position as to giving Kyiv the MAP is crystal clear. The Bu­cha­rest summit clearly defined that Ukraine will join NATO,” Rice declared.

Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Riekstins also has much to say about the importance of giving the MAP to Georgia and Ukraine. He thinks the MAP is necessary to prevent these countries from halting their reforms. “If we say they will not join the MAP, I am afraid that these countries which see their future with NATO will be disappointed. It may cause a reverse effect, and their internal motivations to carry on with the reforms will not be enough,” Riekstins noted. The Latvian foreign minister reminded his listeners that his country supports the idea of giving the MAP to Georgia and Ukraine.

At the same time he noted that “the MAP is not a ticket that guarantees boarding the NATO train,” as these candidate countries have yet to satisfy many essential criteria. The minister also emphasized that Latvia’s support does not mean its readiness to lower the quality level of NATO’s membership criteria. However, the fact that countries do meet the criteria does not prevent the Alliance from considering the general political context when deciding on whether to invite a country to join NATO.

It is expected that the discussions among the NATO countries’ foreign ministers and consultations with the member-countries will have taken place by the December meeting of the NATO foreign ministers. “We will evaluate Georgia and Ukraine’s progress and make a decision in December,” Riekstins said. Responding to the question of whether there are any changes in the European countries’ attitudes after the conflict in Georgia, the Latvian minister said that it is too early to judge. “We will see how their positions evolve. There is plenty of time before the deadline, and it is difficult to foresee what may happen by December,” he added.

Dmitry Rogozin, Russia’s permanent representative at NATO headquarters, reiterated that any eastward NATO expansion is unacceptable to Russia. According to him, Ukraine and Georgia fall within the area of the Russian Federation’s vital national interests.

It should be recalled that on Sept. 18 Rice stated that the Western countries will not allow Russia to impose its position on NATO’s expansion and the possible admission of Ukraine and Georgia into the Alliance. The next day NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that Ukraine and Georgia remain candidates for membership in the Alliance despite Russia’s objections.