Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Ambassador Ihor Dolgov took part in the meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council at ambassadorial level held at NATO Headquarters. The discussion on cooperation in the sphere of destruction of surplus weapons was chaired by NATO Secretary General, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The Minister of Defence of Albania, Mr. Arben Imami, invited to participate in the meeting, made a presentation of Albania’s achievements and experience of cooperation in destructing surplus and obsolete weapons and ammunition.

In his speech during the debate the Head of the Ukrainian Mission informed the participants of the implementation of the NATO/PfP Trust Fund projects in Ukraine aimed at destructing weapon systems, light weapons and landmines, which were inherited by Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union and, as a result of their deteriorating condition, threatened public safety. It was also noted that Ukraine’s experience of cooperation in this sphere with NATO and its partners as well as capabilities developed in Ukraine for destruction of surplus weapons, namely facilities in the cities of Donetsk and Pavlograd, could be used by other interested parties for the implementation of projects of similar nature.

Currently the Ukrainian side is working on implementation of the Second Phase of the NATO/PfP Trust Fund Project. The destruction of landmines, foreseen inter alia by the Project, was lunched in April this year. The Ambassador attracted the delegations’ attention to the fact, that the contributions to the Fund are not sufficient to implement the Project and called on the Allies and EAPC members to consider participating in the Trust Fund. This Project for Ukraine is, overall, the largest NATO Trust Fund project. It aims at destroying 130 thousand tons of obsolete munitions, including 1,5 million of small arms and light weapons, 6 million of landmines and 1 thousand man-portable air defence systems. The latter were destroyed in full in the course of the First Phase of the Project.