Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Ukraine Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy following the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission in Kyiv, October 31, 2019.
Transcript
[Interpreter] And now let’s move to the statement—
[Woman] Now the statement by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
Good morning. President Zelensky, my friend Volodymyr, it is really a great pleasure to see you again and to be back in Kiev, and this time, I’m joined by the whole North Atlantic Council, representing all the 29 allies in NATO. And I think that is showing the unwavering support of NATO and all NATO allies to Ukraine. We have just finished an excellent meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. Ukraine is among our closest partners, and we appreciate your contributions to Euro-Atlantic security. Your troops serve in Afghanistan and in Kosovo, and you are part of the NATO Response Force. And I also know that you are preparing to contribute to the NATO training mission in Iraq, where we fight international terrorism together. So NATO highly values their partnership with Ukraine. It is important for us to have you as a very close and highly valued partner. Today, we discussed the security situation in eastern Ukraine. Allies are encouraged by the progress in Stanytsia Luhanska and other areas, where troops are pulling back, but elsewhere, the conflict in Donbas continues to claim lives. And we are concerned by reports of threats and restrictions against OSCE monitors. Russia must end its support for the militants in eastern Ukraine and withdraw its forces and equipment from Ukrainian territory. President Zelensky, I commend you for your strong commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Your leadership and dedication is making a real difference. And this was expressed by all NATO allies in our meeting today, the strong recognition of your strong personal leadership. NATO fully supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will never recognize Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, and we condemn Russia’s aggressive actions in the Black Sea region. Allies call on Russia to return the Ukrainian vessels seized last year and to ensure free access to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov. NATO continues to provide Ukraine with practical support. Today, we reviewed our Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine. Through 10 trust funds, NATO allies and partners have pledged over 40 million euros to support Ukraine in areas such as command and control, cyber defense and medical rehabilitation. This is delivering real results. We are helping wounded servicemen and women get the treatment they need. We are strengthening Ukraine’s resilience to hybrid threats and cyber-attacks. NATO allies continue to provide military training to Ukrainian forces. And every day, NATO advisors support Ukraine’s security and defense reforms. We are also increasing our support in the Black Sea region with exercises, port visits, and information sharing. And yesterday, the North Atlantic Council, all the 29 allies, visited four NATO ships in the port of Odessa, demonstrating the commitment of NATO allies to Ukraine. And we were pleased to meet Ukrainian naval cadets at a naval academy in Odessa, who benefit from NATO allied training. These are just a few examples of our cooperation and support. Mr. President, you have a very strong mandate to implement key reforms. As you know, I have repeatedly expressed the importance of minority rights. All allies agree that Ukraine should fully implement the Venice Commission recommendations. I would add that it is for Ukraine to decide and implement. I discussed this today with President Zelensky, and I was glad to be informed that six out of seven Venice Commission recommendations are already being implemented. Allies have also welcomed the steps your government has taken to fight corruption, and they reiterated that today. The new parliament has worked at remarkable speed, with more than 500 draft laws registered in one month. We encourage you to build on this progress. NATO will continue to provide advice and practical support, to take forward security and defense reforms in the Law on National Security, to strengthen the rule of law, to ensure the rights of minorities, to fight corruption, and to make all aspects of public life open and transparent, so that the institutions of Ukraine better can serve the interests of the people of Ukraine. These reforms are essential to ensure security and prosperity for all Ukrainians and to bring Ukraine closer to NATO. So once again, thank you so much for hosting me and the whole North Atlantic Council in Kiev today. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.