Україна на шляху до державотворення: „Україна – взаємини з ЄС” | UK-EU Relations (US Viewpoint)
Source: Maidan
Project for Summer 2008
CUSUR Analytic Sections and the US-Ukraine “Working Group” Concept
CUSUR will make the establishment of its envisioned “analytic sectors” a priority in Summer 2008. It hopes to have institutional “coverage” of four "areas of interest" for CUSUR [Economic, Humanitarian, Diplomatic and Security] by the end of the year. In review, the four designated sectors will be:
Economic Affairs: [US-UA] Trade, Investment, Technical Assistance, Energy Issues
Security Affairs: [US-UA] Training – Defense/Intel, Coordination – Defense/Intel, Joint Operations – Defense/Intel, Organized Crime Issues
Humanitarian Affairs: [US-UA] Cultural Exchanges, Academic Exchanges, NGO Development, Mass Media Development
Diplomatic Affairs: [US-UA] GUAM/ Policy Cooperation, Visegrad Group/ Policy Cooperation, European Union/ Policy Cooperation, NATO/ Policy Cooperation
Each “sector” will eventually have a head of station and an information officer.
The first task of the Center’s analysts will be to organize and provide material for the informational centerpiece of CUSUR: its envisioned bi-annual Journal of Ukrainian Affairs. For each issue, each sector will elicit any number of articles from known US-UA government, NGO or academic specialists in their designated field and select one such article to be printed in the given number [four articles to an issue]. Likewise, for each issue, each sector will ask the various named specialists to write reviews of recently published works in the field and select one such review to be printed in the given number [four reviews to an issue].
The second, longer term, task of CUSUR’s analytic sectors will be to implement the “US-Ukraine Working Group” concept. As declared in the CUSUR “finalized goal statement”, the purpose of the Group will be to: (a) monitor the existing state of relations between the US and Ukraine and (b) suggest ways and means to improve the ties. The Group will consist of 20 (5 from each “area of analytic interest for CUSUR”) government, NGO and academic “experts” (selected from a larger pool of specialists) from Ukraine and an equal number of counterparts from the United States. The “experts” will be asked to jointly write a series of “occasional papers” to identify “major issues” impacting on US-Ukrainian relations; they will also be asked to attend a once a year “US-UA Leadership Summit” to discuss and “anticipate” such issues for the upcoming year. [The first such Summit is projected for January 2009 in Boulder, Colorado].
Press Release-UA Quest Roundtable V
Ukraine’s Quest for Mature Nation Statehood – Roundtable V:
Ukraine’s Transition to a Stable Democracy
September 13/14, 2004
Washington , DC
September 16, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ukraine’s Transition to a Stable Democracy
Concludes with Similar Remarks by Senator McCain and Ambassador Holbrooke
During the final panel of a two-day conference entitled Ukraine”s Transition to a Stable Democracy, two highly respected politicians, Senator John McCain and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, provided highlight remarks. Although from different political camps – Republican and Democrat, both speakers agreed that an independent Ukraine is important to the national interests of the United States. On September 14, 2004, addressing one of the Roundtable”s four focus sessions, the speakers provided their assessment of the state of democracy in Ukraine from the US perspective, to a standing room only audience at the US Library of Congress” prestigious Montpellier Room.
The venue host of this year”s conference, Dr. James Billington, introduced the keynote speakers. Following a brief, but eloquent introduction by the Librarian of Congress, Senator John McCain began his remarks by stating that “the title of this conference is “Ukraine”s Transition to a Stable Democracy” and I think we can all agree that a stable democracy is in the national interest of the United States of America; the real question is whether Ukraine is headed down this path.” In this regard, he asserted a mixed picture: “There are strong democratic currents [in Ukraine] today – a robust opposition and wide ranging discussion of political issues leading up to the Oct. 31 elections; at the same time, the opposition has faced harassment and official disadvantages throughout the campaign and there are strong indications that the election may not be free and fair.”
Senator McCain went on to remind the audience of a critical fact that has been lost in much of recent thinking in Washington and Europe. “Ukraine is extremely important to its region, to the world and to the United States. I”d like to repeat that – Ukraine is extremely important to the world to the US and to its region. I fear that in recent years that US and Europe have not been fully cognizant of the critical role Ukraine plays and as a result, the aspiration of Ukrainians to see their nation firmly ensconced in the West have drifted. I don”t believe that most Ukrainians, if offered the choice, would choose a future tied closely to Russia . But many Ukrainians believe that they have not been offered this choice. NATO has made clear that Ukrainian membership is not on the horizon, and the EU has offered Kyiv little hope of joining one day. While the West”s door seems closed, Russia”s is always open.” If the trend continued, he thought that it would “be of little surprise if Ukrainian leaders increasing aligned their county”s ambitions with those of their Russian neighbor.” As he saw it: “The US and Europe must see Ukraine for what it is – an important, proud and populous country in a geostrategically critical position – a country with much to offer the West. It would be a terrible blunder if, because of our inattention or mistakes, we allowed Ukraine to slip back into the Russian orbit.” The Arizona Senator did add that “while US needs to pursue an enhanced relationship with Ukraine , it is also imperative that we make clear to its leadership that close ties to the West and membership in our institutions bring certain obligations and the most important of these is to move down the path of democracy.”
Commenting on his recent trip to Ukraine, the Senator stated that “although democracy in Ukraine is under siege, if the president and the Prime Minister make the courageous decision that the Ukraine people deserve the right to freely choose their government – if they decide that Ukraine”s future best lies in a system of democracy and not autocracy and if they allow free and fair elections that all the world can see – I believe the world needs to be prepared to respond. This means looking hard at Ukraine”s eventual membership into NATO and the EU and expanding our bilateral relations with Ukraine and determining ways to enhance our trading relationship. It means treating Ukraine like the strong, independent and democratic state we hope it will become.”
In his concluding remarks, Senator McCain reaffirmed his belief, that “because we understand the difficulties of transition from a non-democratic to a democratic government; we believe it is important to offer carrots and not just sticks. We believe that it is important that the world realize and the US realize the geostrategic importance of Ukraine and I hope we can maintain this careful balance in this administration and the administration of the next four years”
Following the Senator”s observations, Ambassador Holbrooke stepped up to the podium and stated that it was an honor to follow a long time friend and a man that all Americans admired. With a bit of humor, the Ambassador opened his remarks by stating: “As in most cases, with one notable exception, I completely agree with Senator McCain.” Elaborating on the topic, Ambassador Holbrooke informed the audience that he too recently returned from Ukraine and his views did not differ from those of the Senator”s. “ Ukraine must decide its own destiny. You are obviously a part of Europe, but how you develop your foreign policy – whether it faces east, west, north, south or a bit of all of the above because of its geography, economy and history – is up to Ukraine. Everyone understands the unique relationship between Russia and Ukraine; everyone understands its unique history, but it is up to the people of Ukraine to decide their future without any veto by anyone else, and by this I mean, Russia. If Ukraine wishes to join the institutions of the West, specifically, NATO and EU, that is Ukraine”s decision, and the US must lead the effort to make sure that Western countries no longer think, for some odd reason, that what Ukrainians do can be second guessed, decided, or vetoed by Moscow. He made it clear that he was “not saying all of this to be provocative towards the Russians. This is not a hostile act toward Russia, it”s about the expansion of the community of democracies ever eastward since the end of the Cold War. We are not baiting Moscow by saying this; we are talking about the rights and aspirations of Ukrainians.”
Speaking specifically on the topic of NATO enlargement, Ambassador Holbrooke asserted that “although Ukraine was not on the list of the first round of expansion, should Ukraine decide it wants to apply for membership following the upcoming elections, I predict that, despite the fact that some countries in Europe think that [such a move] is a bridge too far, within a few years Ukraine will become a member.” However, he couched his remarks by stating this was for Ukraine to decide, not the United States . “Prior to the decision as to Ukraine”s future orientation, must come the all important elections and in my view they are the “second most important elections in the world this year”. These elections are an absolute precondition for the processes [membership in NATO] I just talked about here.” Clarifying this remark, the Ambassador stated that “it is not that Americans wish to interfere in Ukraine “s internal affairs; it is just simply unavoidable that the election and how it is perceived will be a critical factor whether Ukraine is invited in.” In doing so, he emphasized “that the United States does not support any political party of candidate”, but “what Americans care about is that the elections be free, fair, open and transparent.”
In a provoking afterthought, the former US envoy to the UN added: “I think that a lot of the West has a misperception of Ukraine for the most simple of reasons; the Western media reporting on Ukraine
tends to be based in Moscow . This is a harsh truth; I saw it also in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia on recent trips, but nowhere is it truer than in Ukraine . There are still many Americans who can”t quite absorb the fact that Ukraine now is an independent country and will be forever.”
In his closing remarks, the Ambassador spoke on a topic that is dear to his heart – the potential AIDS epidemic in Ukraine. He stressed that HIV AIDS is spread by the sailors through the ports, thru intravenous injections and through the white slave sex trade and if the problem was not dealt with immediately, the economic cost to Ukraine would be immeasurable. In conclusion, Ambassador Holbrooke reassured the audience that he is “bullish on Ukraine” and deeply honored “to be here and share the dais with Dr. Billington and my dear friend John McCain.”
Following the presentations, a brief question and answer period ensued. In responding to a question posed by the former Ukrainian Ambassador to the US, Dr. Yuriy Scherbak, concerning the recent terrorist attack in Russia, the force based responses by Russia and general implications for Ukraine, Senator McCain responded that terrorism in Russia is in danger of becoming an international threat. However the Senator stated that he believes that the “genesis of the threat is the failure to recognize the yearning of the Chechens for some form of autonomy, if not independence…” and for this to be successfully resolved, there had to be some form of negotiations with the Chechens to satisfy their aspirations. With regard to the any implication for Ukraine , Senator McCain stated, “…I don”t speak specifically about President Putin, but there is no doubt that in Russia there are forces who yearn for the old Russian Empire. One of my friends Dr. Kissinger once said that Russia without Ukraine is an Eastern power and with Ukraine is a Western power. This is why the American Administration, Congress and the American people have to understand what is at stake as far as the future of Ukraine is concerned.”
The two-day conference ran four regular sessions featuring twelve panels; four focus sessions, two working lunches and two RT receptions. In total, more than seventy experts – a veritable Who’s Who from Ukraine, the United States, and Europe – addressed the conference proceedings.
The Steering Committee of the Quest for Mature Nation Statehood Roundtable Series would like to thank all the Patrons and Sponsors of Roundtable V for their generous support. Without the financial assistance of the following institutions: Selfreliance (NY) Federal Credit Union, Philip Morris Ukraine, Heritage Foundation of 1st Security Federal Savings Bank, SUMA Yonkers Federal Credit Union, Self Reliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union, Ukrainian Future Credit Union, Association of National Cultural Unions of Ukraine, International Renaissance Foundation, US Embassy Media Fund, Vira Hladun Goldmann, PBN, American Foreign Policy Council, Freedom House, Poland-Ukraine-America Cooperation Initiatives (PAUCI), Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Holy Trinity Spiritual Center/Ternopil, Khmil Ukrainy, Omekc, Ternopilbud, Agro-Tur and Obolon, Roundtable V would have never advanced beyond the planning stage.
Roundtable VI Begins in Washington DC
Ukraine’s Quest for Mature Nation Statehood Roundtable VI
“Ukraine’s Transition to an Established National Identity”
Roundtable VI Begins in Washington DC
(UNIS, Washington DC, September 27, 2005) Michael Sawkiw, Jr., President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America opened the sixth installment of the now traditional Ukraine’s Quest for Mature Nation Statehood series commenting that, “Ukraine is indeed a country of immense proportions and holds within its balance the linchpin of stability and security in Europe.”
Roundtable VI was organized to analyze Ukraine’s transition to an established national identity in the hue of what has become known as Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. As chairman of the Roundtable Steering Committee, Mr. Sawkiw noted that “the Orange Revolution was about the creation of a political nation.” According to Sawkiw, the people of Ukraine moved “the arrows of political development towards an open society” expressing their European identity.
Walter Zaryckyj, Executive Director of the Center for US-Ukrainians Relations and program coordinator for the Roundtable series, noted that the first three roundtables had Ukraine’s external relations as their themes. According to Zaryckyj: “Today’s roundtable marks the culmination of the third in a series that looked at internal themes. The conferences were designed to be a trilogy of trilogies, as Ukraine emerges from the post Soviet space and becomes a mature nation-state.”
Nita Lowey (D-NY), congresswoman from Yonkers, NY echoed American support for Ukraine. “The United States must remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine,” according to Lowey, ranking member on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee and a member of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus. Lowey noted that there will be bumps in the road, citing the recent deal President Yushchenko signed with former adversaries.
Recent changes in Ukraine’s government, although notable, have not eclipsed the proceedings. Mr. Anton Buteiko, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister commented that “Following elections in the United States, Republicans and Democrats shake hands and cooperate.” For many in Ukraine, the changes in government are part of normal political developments. Mr. Buteiko was Ukraine’s Ambassador to Romania and resigned from his post in 2003 in a protest against the policy pursued by former President Kuchma to sign the agreement on a Single Economic Space. Mr. Buteiko underscored Ukraine’s European identity having himself returned from meetings in Brussels where he led talks to intensify Ukraine’s entry in the European Union and Euro-Atlantic structures, including NATO.
The morning session addressed physical and economic factors of Ukraine’s “center of gravity.” Mark von Hagen, professor of history at Columbia University and former president of the International Association of Ukrainianists chaired the session charged to contemplate the political dimension of Ukraine’s center of gravity. Stephen Nix, chairman of the International Republican Institute and Nelson Ledsky, chairman of the National Democratic Institute highlighted Ukraine’s advanced development of civil society and political party development. In particular, Mr. Ledsky pointed to the Committee of Voters in Ukraine’s recent statement condemning President Yushchenko’s agreement with former rival Victor Yanukovych as proof positive that civil society will become the bastion of Ukrainian democracy.
“Any discussion of Ukraine’s body politic would be remiss without a discussion about the body economic,” according to Andrij Bihun, Senior International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce and chair of the session contemplating the economic dimension to Ukraine’s national identity. Mr. Bihun observed that Ukraine’s economy is no longer a patient in cardiac care, but still requires post operative supervision.
Anthony Wayne, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State noted that despite deeply rooted problems of corruption, Ukraine has advanced deliberate steps, integrating WTO norms into their legal framework making eventual membership a reality. He observed that Ukraine is strategically located between the Caspian and Black Seas and should do more to capitalize on that advantage and shift the direction of the Odesa-Brody pipeline toward the European Union. Mr. Wayne noted however, that it is fully within Ukraine’s purview to develop regional business initiatives with all its neighbors. “President Bush and President Yushchenko agreed to develop a bilateral market access agreement by the end of the year,” according to Mr. Wayne.
Brian Cox from the U.S. Treasury Department noted several currency controls and financial monitoring agreements between the United States and Ukraine aimed at abetting transnational organized crime. He noted there may be several hurdles to the Ukrainian economy, many of which will require serious attention, such as the marked deceleration of Ukraine’s economic growth. Ariel Cohen, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, noted Ukraine has matured and the United States can no longer treat Ukraine like a “child.” Dr. Cohen noted that the populism of the past eight months may have long lasting effects on the economy which may not be fully felt until after the March 2006 elections. He cautioned that Ukraine will be competing with other emerging economies like India and Korea and must strengthen its financial institutions and economic policies.
Combining presentations with learned philosophers like Myroslav Popovych, director of the Hryhoriy Skovoroda Philosophy Institute and a panel foreshadowing the upcoming March 2006 parliamentary elections with members from the Ukrainian political continuum, round out the end of the first half of the first day of “Roundtable IV: Ukraine’s Transition to an Established National Identity.”
Strong Affections for Ukraine from Indiana at Roundtable VI
Ukraine’s Quest for Mature Nation Statehood Roundtable VI
“Ukraine’s Transition to an Established National Identity”
Strong Affections for Ukraine from Indiana at Roundtable VI
(UNIS, Washington, DC, September 28, 2005) Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-IN) received a resounding applause at the Ukraine’s Quest for Mature Nation Statehood Roundtable VI when he declared unambiguously “I care deeply about Ukraine.”
Earlier in the day, Senator Lugar announced that the Parliamentary Development Project for Ukraine (PDP) at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University received a $500,000 cooperative agreement from the US Agency for International Development.
Senator Lugar represented President Bush during the November 2004 presidential run-off election where he stressed free and fair election procedures would bolster international respect for the legitimacy of the winning candidate and for Ukraine.
“I watched the first round of elections with great interest,” said Senator Lugar. “I got a call from the White House that President Bush wanted to express the American position and he would write a letter and I would deliver to President Kuchma.”
“The letter essentially said that in the event that the elections did not turn out well, there would be consequences that went unnamed,” said Lugar.
After the meeting, Senator Lugar recounted how he bumped into a large delegation from Russia that was also waiting to meet with President Kuchma. Lugar recalled that he recognizing some of the delegates from arms reduction work completed as part of the Nunn-Lugar initiative to eliminate weapons of mass destruction. “I asked my Russian friends whether they would meet with candidate Yushchenko and they said ‘That’s not on our schedule’,” Lugar recalled.
Senator Lugar recently returned from a trip overseas with junior Senator Barrack Obama (D-IL) where they observed a new emerging problem with conventional weapons. “The major arms control arrangement this time is in stores of conventional weapons. Some are exotic, like the Man-Pad, shoulder launch missiles, which are highly valued by transnational terrorists,” said Lugar. “We want to work with people to destroy these weapons although they are beyond our weapons of mass destruction mandate.” The Nunn-Lugar program has employed 58,000 scientists that were previously involved in weapons of mass destruction programs in the former Soviet Union.
“Despite all that I’ve seen in Ukraine, the thing that struck me the most about my last trip is the problem of energy independence,” said Lugar. While in Kyiv over the summer, Senator Lugar met with then Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko about alternative sources of oil and gas. There is a real concern among Ukraine’s leadership that Russia will use their monopoly to exert changes in Ukraine’s foreign policy goals.
Senator Lugar noted that although this situation is grim, it is not insoluble. “Together we have some serious thinking to do regarding how we can change the situation in Ukraine,” said Lugar. The Center for US-Ukrainian Relations is organizing a conference this fall to begin a US-Ukrainian energy dialogue, something Senator Lugar intimated to be a necessary first step as establishing energy independence.
Lugar also is committed to establishing normal trade relations between the U.S. and Ukraine through the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik sanctions.
“I applaud this conference and the organizers for providing a forum to exchange thoughts between America and Ukraine,” concluded Lugar.
UA Historical Encounters III: GUAM/Black and Caspian Sea Cooperation
A UA HES event entitled GUAM/Black and Caspian Sea Cooperation was held December 4, 2007 at New York University. The symposium was dedicated to examining a regional grouping whose potential significance in the areas of economic development, energy security and “frozen conflicts” resolution cannot be underestimated.
Speakers included:
| Margarita Balmaceda | Alexander Motyl |
| Eugene Fishel | Viktor Nikitiuk |
| Adrian Karatnycky | Hryhoriy Perepylytsya |
| Taras Kuzio | Yuri Sergeyev |
| F. Steven Larrabee | Joshua Tucker |
| Agshin Mehdiyev | Walter Zaryckyj |
Sponsors:
| Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN | Mission of Ukraine to the UN |
| Mission of Georgia to the UN | Mission of Moldova to the UN |
| New York University/LAP | Center for US-Ukrainian Relations |
| New York University/Dept. of Politics | Columbia University/ECEC |
Proceedings/Presentations:
Ukraine's UN Ambassador Yuri Sergeyev's plenary remarks
Ukraine's US Deputy Chief of Mission Viktor Nikitiuk's plenary remarks
Press:
An in-depth synopsis of the event
Azerbaijani news agency Trend article entitled GUAM Tenth Anniversary Marked in New York