On 17 June 2014, a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) at the level of ambassadors, devoted to the 20th anniversary of the NATO Partnership for Peace Programme (PfP), took place at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted major achievements gained by PfP countries, and outlined the main directions of development of the Programme and this format of partnerships in the context of radical change in the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic region caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affaires and Security Policy, Ambassador Terry Stamatopulos has also stated in his speech a specific vision of the EAPC development.

Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Ambassador Ihor Dolhov who participated in the discussion of this agenda, expressed the position of the Ukrainian state, which was one of the first partner-countries to join the PfP in 1994, on the serious challenge EAPC faced due to Russian aggression, occupation of Crimea, direct support by the Russian Federation for separatist militants in eastern Ukraine, their criminal acts (violence against civilians, hostage-taking, kidnapping of children, etc.). He also stressed the need for better understanding of the emergence of new security environment, finding appropriate means of responding to it, including through making relevant decisions at the Ministerial meetings in June this year and the NATO Summit in September.

Participants of the meeting unanimously supported the position of the Ukrainian state, strongly condemned the Russian aggression, gave rebuff to the attempts by the Russian representative to bring their distorted picture of the real situation in Ukraine.

The EAPC meeting has once again demonstrated the international isolation of Russia. Each of the delegations participating in the discussion called on the Russian side to stop the aggression, to de-escalate the situation and to start to comply with international obligations.