Ukraine is counting on Belgium’s support for its application to join the NATO Membership Action Plan at a meeting of NATO foreign affairs ministers in December.
The presidential press service announced this in a statement.
President Viktor Yuschenko said during a meeting with Belgium’s Prime Minister Yves Leterme that admission of Ukraine to the NATO Membership Action Plan would not result in escalation of the situation in Ukraine under any circumstances.
On the contrary, Yuschenko said that admission would take this resonant issue off the agenda.
Yuschenko added that the number of Ukrainians that support participation in the NATO Membership Action Plan was increasing.
He expressed the hope that Belgium’s position on the prospects for admission of Ukraine into the European Union would evolve as quickly as possible.
Yuschenko and Leterme also discussed the implementation of the agreement on simplifying the European Union’s visa procedures.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Leterme arrived in Ukraine on Friday for an official visit.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel believes that it will be too early to invite Ukraine and Georgia to join the NATO Membership Action Plan in December.
Parliamentary Deputy Anatolii Hrytsenko of the Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense bloc believes that Ukraine has no chance of joining the NATO Membership Action Plan at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in December 2008 or at a NATO summit in April 2009.
