Oleksandr Turchynov: Ukraine is ready to expand and deepen cooperation with NATO

Eastern borders of Ukraine are the advanced frontiers of European security, therefore strengthening of our security capabilities and the development of the Armed Forces are ongoing at different levels, based on the best achievements, first of all of NATO, as well as based on the combat experience of recent years.

This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov in his speech at the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

According to Mr. Turchynov, Ukraine is interested in the active development of military-technical cooperation with NATO and the member states of the Alliance. At the same time, he said that "the need for the Alliance's political decision to lift artificial restrictions, provide Ukraine with weapons, including lethal ones, for the equipping of the Armed Forces and other structures of the security and defense sector is overripe".

Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine stated that our state is ready for further expansion and deepening of cooperation with NATO and the Alliance countries on a bilateral basis. These includes, in particular: the granting by NATO states of export licenses for the supply of military goods to Ukraine, including those of lethal action; the participation of foreign partners in modernizing the existing types or joint creation of new types of weapons and equipment for arming the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the use of technologies and components of Western producers; achievement by Ukrainian enterprises of the Alliance standards of manufacturing defense products to participate in projects on satisfying the needs of the armed forces of NATO member states; providing consulting and advisory services on the use of offset mechanisms; protection of intellectual property; the establishment of a center for the certification of weapons and military equipment manufactured by Ukrainian enterprises in accordance with the NATO standards; investing in the development of the Ukrainian defense-industrial complex, etc.