Partnerships have truly been essential for NATO’s transformation and success

April 4th is a central day for NATO as it marks the day the Alliance was established in 1949. This date naturally lends itself to the opportunity to reflect upon the achievements and also look ahead. One of the key pillars contributing to NATO’s success over the past twenty years has been its partnerships. Guided by the principles of mutual respect, mutual responsibility, and mutual interest NATO and its partners are increasingly working together in a truly cooperative effort to tackle the complex and unpredictable global risks and threats of today.

The Alliance is continuing to build and expand its network of partnerships. Today, NATO has developed partnerships not only in the Euro-Atlantic area, but also the Mediterranean and the Gulf Region as well as with other international organizations such as the UN, the OSCE, the EU and the African Union.

To illustrate the growing depth and diversity of the relationships that are being forged, NATO and Australia recently signed a joint political declaration reflecting their mutual determination to deepen cooperation in meeting common threats. The year 2012 also saw relations being launched with Mongolia within the framework of the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme. One of the projects with Mongolia will establish a geo-database for the restoration of former military sites in an effort to rehabilitate degraded land in Mongolia. The second project lies in the field of information technology support and includes an upgrade to the information infrastructure of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences along with training.

NATO and Russia remain committed to developing their strategic partnership in areas of common interest and concern. Afghanistan serves as a strong example illustrating the strides being made in NATO-Russia relations. Cooperation on issues related to Afghanistan has deepened, with an expansion of Russia’s support for NATO transit requirements for the ISAF mission, training of counter-narcotics officers and maintenance of Afghan army helicopters. In the field of cooperative airspace, NATO Allies and Russia have developed an initiative which allows neighbouring countries to work together to make sure terrorists cannot use civil aircraft to launch attacks.

NATO is also continuing to develop its relations with a host of international organizations. NATO and European Union personnel work together in Kosovo, Afghanistan and fighting piracy off the Horn of Africa. Staff-level contacts are held to exchange information to avoid duplication, particularly in the area of capability development. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and NATO also maintain regular contacts, and the African Union and NATO continue to explore opportunities for further cooperation.

NATO and Ukraine continue to develop their distinctive partnership. To illustrate this strong commitment to Ukraine, NATO Allies support a number of projects in Ukraine through trust funds. One of those projects retrains former military officers who have lost their employment due to Ukraine’s defence reform process. This initiative is crucially important as it provides the individuals impacted by the reforms with an opportunity to secure a more stable future to them, their families and their communities.

The Professional Development Programme is another program supported by NATO and individual Allies, which aims to build up the capacities of Ukraine’s institutions, particularly in the defense and security sectors, by channelling expertise to Ukraine with a view of helping to make these institutions more modern, better managed and more democratically accountable.

Another project run by the NATO Support Agency supports the destruction of surplus ammunition and explosives. This has been running since 2005, and has helped destroy tens of thousands of tons of weaponry. NATO is also finalising a trust fund to support the neutralization of radioactive sources from former-Soviet military sites, thereby making the environment safer and allowing the Ukrainian military to concentrate on their core tasks.

Ukraine, on its side, is a valued NATO partner and a regular contributor to NATO operations. Ukrainian troops serve side by side with NATO troops in Afghanistan and Kosovo, and Ukrainian experts are helping to train the Afghan security forces. Uk­raine has committed itself to the non-combat mission NATO will conduct in Afgha­nistan after the end of 2014, and has joined the planning process for that mission. A valuable contribution is also made by Ukraine with capabilities to the NATO Response Force in fields such as medical support, protection against chemical weapon attacks and transport.

Most recently, NATO and Ukraine further reinforced their cooperation at a meeting of defence ministers in the NATO-Ukraine Commission in February 2013, where NATO and Ukraine signed an exchange of letters confirming Ukraine’s intent to contribute a frigate and helicopter to NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield, which fights piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Partnerships have truly been essential for NATO’s transformation and success. Our world is ever-changing and unpredictable, and NATO will continue to adapt to meet the evolving needs of the global security environment. Working with partners in sharing the burden of making the world we live in a more secure and safe place will continue to be a strong pillar in this endeavour.