KYIV. March 25 (Interfax-AVN) - The development of the defense component of the joint policy by member nations of the European Union enables Ukraine to scale up efforts for integration into European security and defense structures.
"Partnership with the EU should become an important part of Ukraine's European integration course," Colonel General Viktor Bannykh, state secretary of the Defense Ministry in charge of international cooperation, told the briefing on Monday.
According to him, "for the past two years we have been searching for promising mutually profitable and real spheres of cooperation." In particular, the parties signed such important documents as the catalogue of practical cooperation between Ukraine and Western European Union and agreement on cooperation between Ukraine and EU in the sphere of long-range aircraft transportation, Bannykh added.
The official believes that provision of services in strategic relocation of troops or transportation of military cargo by Ukrainian aircraft to the European Union was a promising way of bilateral cooperation for 2002. "Ukraine has several types of transport aviation planes that meet the European standards and can accomplish tasks in various areas of the world," Bannykh stressed.
Moreover, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready to participate in operations under the EU auspices.
Another important sphere of integration into European security and defense structures is cooperation with armed forces of EU member nations and candidates for admission into the union.
In particular, the year 2002 will witness involvement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 17 multinational exercises, six of which will take place in Ukraine. The largest of them is the joint training of tank units from French and Ukrainian Land Forces that will take at the 235th Shiroky Lan joint-arms proving range subordinate to the southern operational commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces as well as the Ukrainian-Italian training of Land Forces aeromobile units which is to happen at the same proving range. The first exercise is scheduled for May-June and the second for July.