BRUSSELS - Ukraine can only raise the question about cooperation with NATO after parliamentary elections and if the new parliament approves the bill abolishing the non-allied status of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Sept. 1.
Rasmussen said he would expect Ukraine to raise the question in the NATO-Ukraine Commission, if the new parliament of Ukraine changes the legislation on the non-allied status of Ukraine, and the foundations for further cooperation between NATO and Ukraine will be developed on that basis. He added that it is difficult to say when it could happen.
Rasmussen reiterated that Ukraine will have to meet a number of criteria to enter NATO, and it will take a long time to meet those criteria.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk told a government meeting on Friday that the Cabinet of Ministers is submitting a bill abolishing Ukraine’s non-allied status to the parliament.
“In accordance with a decision made by the National Security and Defense Council, the government of Ukraine is submitting a bill abolishing the non-allied status of the Ukrainian state and restoring Ukraine’s course towards NATO membership to the parliament,” he said.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Ukraine on Oct. 26.
