During the morning plenary session the Parliament restored the course of Ukraine to join NATO. The corresponding bill No. 6470 “On amendments to some legislative acts of Ukraine (regarding the foreign policy of Ukraine)” was supported by 276 deputies.
As explained Today the Deputy head of the foreign Affairs Committee Borys Tarasyuk, who reported from the podium on the bill before its adoption, the document actually restored Ukraine’s course for NATO membership. “What we approved today, we actually repeated the wording of the law of 19 June 2003, which was adopted by the constitutional majority, is a course for membership in NATO. Then in 2010, Yanukovych has canceled this phrase in the law (Ukraine became a non-aligned state – Ed.). Then in 2014, I introduced the first bill 4 Mar 2014 as a response to Russian aggression on the restoration of this kind of wording – “on course for a membership”. But then there was the political will to accept it. Then the President was elected, he introduced a bill in the wording which was adopted wording – “acquisition criteria for membership in NATO.” Instead, now we actually returned to the wording, which clearly States: “the rate for membership in NATO”, – told the “Today” Boris Tarasyuk.
Now Ukrainian legislation envisages deepening cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to “achieve the criteria necessary to gain membership in this organization.” After signing by the President adopted today the Verkhovna Rada of the law, the wording would sound like a recovery “of Ukraine’s course for NATO membership”.
But in practice, according to MPs, the Parliament adopted amendments to the laws on foundations of domestic and foreign policy and national security do little. The adoption of a law does not mean that tomorrow will take us into the Alliance. Because, firstly, Ukraine has not yet reached all of the standards of NATO, and secondly with the current military conflicts in the Alliance are not taken.
“The purpose of this bill is to become a member of NATO. 276 deputies of the 5 factions BP confirmed our choice. And I must say that this vote brought together all those 5 factions that were once United coalition. Of course in NATO, we will be if we, through the decades. This is not a fast process, because our army is still based on Soviet standards, controls and weapons. But most importantly we showed the entire civilized world, which is our direction – to get away from the “scoop” and the aggressor – the Russian Federation”, – told reporters on the sidelines of the Verkhovna Rada MP from NF Anton Gerashchenko.
In BPP recall that all countries, before becoming members of the European Union, first joined the ranks of the Alliance. “It is an ideological choice. That is, if you say that it will give tomorrow or the day after, it will do nothing. But in the medium term, it is an ideological choice of the country and the country is moving towards the Eurasian unity, and towards Europe and NATO. In this respect, we go gradually, first it was the European choice on is NATO. And plus you need to absolutely everyone to understand that all countries that joined the EU, they joined NATO. If we are talking about the medium-term prospect of European integration without NATO is impossible,” – said the “Today” people’s Deputy from BPP Vadim Denisenko.
Deputies do not exclude that by 2019 when the next parliamentary and presidential elections, politicians can again think about the possibility of holding a referendum on Ukraine’s accession to NATO. This, by the way, periodically declares and Petro Poroshenko. The last time the President expressed readiness to hold a referendum in February in an interview to German media. But further words business didn’t reach. And on the fractions, according to deputies, during the discussion, adopted today by Parliament of the bill No. 6470, on the referendum and no one remembered.
Recall, according to a poll by the Razumkov Center and the Fund “Democratic initiatives”, which was held in February, 44% of respondents support Ukraine’s accession to NATO.
