Ukraine to be NATO member - Parubiy at meeting with NATO PA President Turner
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy during a meeting with President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Michael Turner has said that Ukraine aims to become a NATO member and has to see and understand the specific requirements and timelines for obtaining membership in the Alliance.
As the press service of the Ukrainian parliament reported on Sunday evening, the meeting was held within the framework of the participation of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine's delegation in the NATO PA in Istanbul.
"The decision of the Bucharest NATO summit is to be put into practice - Ukraine will join NATO," Parubiy said during the meeting.
He also said that Ukraine has approved a program to bring the Armed Forces to NATO standards by 2020. "The president of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada are actively engaged in it. This is an ambitious goal, but I am convinced that the Armed Forces will realize it," Parubiy said.
Verkhovna Rada speaker expressed conviction that the experience that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have, can be interesting and useful for NATO armies. "We are convinced that the Ukrainian army, that is waging the war, has an experience that will be of some interest to NATO countries. Now it is undergoing war trials - it is being tempered," Parubiy said.
He also thanked Turner for his support to Ukraine, which the NATO PA demonstrates, in particular, in its decisions on the aid to Ukrainian Armed Forces, treatment and rehabilitation of Ukrainian military - members of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) in the joint military drills of NATO countries and Ukraine.
The meeting was also attended by an MP, Chairman of the Standing Delegation of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada in NATO PA Iryna Friz and Ukrainian MP, Ukrainian President's Envoy for the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Jemilev.