BRUSSELS. Jan 21 (Interfax-AVN) - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will attend Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's inauguration ceremony on January 23, an official NATO spokesman in Brussels said.
The spokesman said that NATO regarded Ukraine as a strategic partner, adding that the organization has good relations with Ukraine and intends to develop them.
The secretary general's message of congratulations to Yushchenko on his election as Ukraine's president indicates the importance NATO attaches to its relations with Ukraine, the spokesman said.
Speaking about the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO, he said that the issue of granting membership to any country could only be examined if the appropriate application was filed.