On July 2, 2015 at the premises of Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine the meeting of 11th Assembly of NATO-Ukraine Civic League “Ukraine and NATO: Joint Counteracting the Hybrid War” was held. This event was organized with the support of NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine (NIDC).
The main aim of this year event was strengthening strategic unity of NATO and the Euro-Atlantic community directed to establishment of principles of international law, achieving democratic integrity and unity of Ukraine and Europe as well.
Deputy Chief of the Mission, Counselor-Representative of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine, the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Ukraine Gvidas Kerushauskas welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of this event and mentiontioned that due to struggle of Ukraine for establishment of its fundamental principles and freedoms it was necessary to focus on strengthening cooperation with NATO, and to ensure the implementation of the security and defence sector reform.
The Head of the NATO-Ukraine Civic League Sergei Dzherdz expressed his gratitude to all the attendees for active participation in the NATO-Ukraine Civic League events during 10 years. Sergei Dzherdz pointed out: "NATO-Ukraine Civic League is a kind of a platform for discussing of priority public issues and a background for cooperation of three subjects such as state, public and NATO".
Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine for European Integration Ihor Dolhov emphasized that the main background for upholding of european values and democratic freedoms, ensuring the effective counteracting the challenges and threats of hybrid war on the east of Ukraine was strengthening Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine through successful reforming of the country.
However, Ihor Dolhov also remarked that within the frameworks of Annual National Programme of Ukraine-NATO cooperationimplementation a number of programs and courses aimed at increasing the defense capability of Ukraine was envisaged.
During this year Assembly Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations of Ukraine were discussed and the main role of civil society in counteracting the information war and propaganda was defined, furthermore the issue regarding enhancing cooperation between Ukraine and NATO in new Euro-Atlantic security architecture was discussed.
Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the First Deputy Head of the State Committee for television and radio broadcasting of Ukraine Bogdan Chervak, Director of the Institute of Society Transformation, Professor of the National Academy of Management, Deputy Head of NATO-Ukraine Civic League Assembly Oleh Soskin, Professor of the Kyiv Shevchenko University of International Relationships, Director of the Foreign Policy Institute at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Hryhoriy Perepelytsya, the Head of the Sub-Committee on European and Euro-Atlantic Relations of Committee of Verkhovna Rada for Foreign Affairs Svitlana Zalischuk as well as Ukrainian experts, politicians, statesmen and public figures, representatives of government authorities, higher education establishments and research institutions took part in the event.
The Head of the Division of International Cooperation Projects of the Projects Management Unit of the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union Inna Belobratova attended the event.
For reference: the NATO–Ukraine Programme for Professional Development of the Civilian Personnel of Security and Defense Sector was launched in October, 2005 during the NATO-Ukraine high level consultations (Vilnius, Lithuania). The Programme provides not only practical training, but specific financial contributions from the Allies. According to the conclusion of the Sixth Session of the Commission on the Ukraine's partnership with NATO the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service was established as the national coordinator of the Programme implementation.
