Tarasyuk visit lays groundwork for next session of Kuchma-Gore Commission (07/12/98)

Tarasyuk visit lays groundwork for next session of Kuchma-Gore Commission

by Irene Jarosewich

WASHINGTON - Borys Tarasyuk, Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs, traveled to Washington on July 6-7 to meet with U.S. government officials in preparation for Vice-President Al Gore's trip to Kyiv on July 22-23 for the second session of the U.S-Ukraine Binational Commission. Key meetings on Mr. Tarasyuk's agenda included those with Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Secretary of Defense William Cohen. Mr. Tarasyuk's schedule also included a meeting on July 6 with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and a visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on July 7.

In his remarks on July 6 at the National Press Club during a meeting with journalists, and later at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the 49-year-old career diplomat, who was on his first visit to the U.S. since being appointed foreign affairs minister on April 17, emphasized Ukraine's consistency in its foreign policy on key issues such as nuclear non-proliferation, NATO enlargement and relations with Russia. Mr. Tarasyuk underscored Ukraine's determination to remain a reliable partner for the U.S. as both countries continue to develop the Ukrainian-American strategic partnership.

He characterized the period of 1991-1992 as a low point and a time of lost opportunities in Ukraine's relations with the U.S. and with other countries in the West, a result of the indecisiveness of Ukraine's leadership at that time, a confused attitude in the West toward Ukraine's independence and America's "significant overwhelmingly one-sided preoccupation" with Ukraine's post-Soviet nuclear weapons stockpile. Mr. Tarasyuk credited the now-stable relationship in large part to the frequently unrecognized "efforts, political wisdom and courage" of Ukraine's current leadership that worked hard, despite difficult geo-political and economic circumstances, to sustain a "consistent and responsible foreign policy," a key element of which was Ukraine's decision to eliminate its nuclear arsenal.

This strategy of holding the line despite pressure has earned Ukraine the respect of the West, according to Mr. Tarasyuk, as well as something that "is very valuable for us ... respect among other newly independent states."

Russia's reaction regarding NATO

Commenting on the latest round of critical reaction from the Russian government on Ukraine's NATO position, and in particular, remarks attributed to him that Ukraine's position on joining NATO has changed, Mr. Tarasyuk noted, "I think that what was stated was the usual Ukraine position on our relationship with NATO, nothing new. But the reaction was surprisingly negative in Moscow - I think that this is one of the examples where confrontational approaches are being used instead of searching for solutions to problems in a relationship."

He continued: "In May, during a seminar, the subject of which was the place and role of Ukraine in the European security structure, I said 'one may not exclude in principle Ukraine's joining any security institution, NATO included, but the proper conditions must be in place for this and, at the moment, we cannot say that the conditions in Ukraine are right for this, and that is why the issue of Ukraine joining the alliance is not on the agenda today.'" Mr. Tarasyuk added that reaction and speculation coming from Moscow was "overly excessive to the essence of what I said."

In addition to emphasizing Ukraine's consistency and reliability as a critical element to the success of its foreign policy, Mr. Tarasyuk addressed at length Ukraine's integration into Euro-Atlantic structures as a major foreign policy goal. Mr. Tarasyuk, who was Ukraine's ambassador to the Benelux and head of Ukraine's mission to NATO before being appointed minister of foreign affairs, stated unequivocally that "Ukraine's future lies in Europe" and admonished those who wish to exclude Ukraine from Europe. "Any new member in a family creates problems," he noted, "but are there any parents who do not desire a child only because they will lose some sleep? Every child is dear to its parents, every European nation, including Ukraine, is dear to our continent."

Warning against limited enlargement of the European Union, Mr. Tarasyuk stated, "we can easily foresee the worsening of bilateral cooperation ... between new members and their neighboring nations not included in the first wave of the enlargement process," and the split between those in the EU and those left out will result in deteriorating economic conditions, new dividing lines in Europe and new threats to stability.

European Union and Ukraine

"The European Union should not neglect our country. Given Ukraine's location in the current environment, Ukraine must be a bridge, not a buffer, between the enlarged NATO/EU and Russia," said Mr. Tarasyuk.

Quoting Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former U.S. national security advisor and an advisor at the CSIS, who wrote in 1995, "at some point in the future both the European Union and NATO will have to reassess the nature of their relations with Ukraine and Russia," Mr. Tarasyuk noted "with all my deep respect to my friend Zbig who wrote that that time might come 'only some years after 2000,' I must state that this time has already arrived - at least as concerns EU strategy towards Ukraine."

Besides integration into Euro-Atlantic structures, Mr. Tarasyuk addressed Ukraine's relations with Russia, which he called a "top economic and foreign policy priority" for Ukraine. He supports the integration of a democratic, free-market Russia into European and Euro-Atlantic structures and alluded that such integration may help Russia learn "to live with Ukraine as its independent neighbor."

Mr. Tarasyuk spoke to Ukraine's development as a regional leader as evidenced by the recent Black Sea Economic Cooperation summit held in Yalta; Ukraine's initiative in establishing the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaidjan, Moldova) forum; as well President Kuchma's recent move to organize an international conference on "Baltic-Black Sea Cooperation: Towards an Integrated Europe in the 21st Century Without Dividing Lines."

Reforming the CIS

As for the Commonwealth of Independent States, according to Mr. Tarasyuk: "Ukraine regards the CIS as a mechanism for consultations that support the development of bilateral relations in the region - among the newly independent states. During the existence of the CIS, we have witnessed the development of 1,500 documents, most of which don't work ... So we are trying to find a way to reform the CIS ... and we are actively participating.

"From our point of view, the CIS will be viable only provided that it will respond to the most acute problems facing participating countries, that is, economic cooperation. As soon as it finds the answers ... and providing those decisions will finally work, then the CIS has a future. Otherwise other forms - including bilateral relations - will continue to grow." He also noted, "if the CIS concentrates, as it has before, on issues of political and military concern, then this will only make this community fragile. I see no future for such a community."

Economic issues

Among the issues discussed at Mr. Tarasyuk's July 7 meeting with Mrs. Albright were specific projects, promised by the U.S., to be set up in Kharkiv to offset the employment losses that will be experienced in the region as a result of Ukraine's agreement not to manufacture and sell spare parts for nuclear reactors that Russia had agreed to sell to Iran.

Mr. Tarasyuk also planned to address other economic development topics, such as the implementation of another pipeline, in addition to the Baku-Jeyhan route, to ensure the safe transport of oil from the Caspian Sea to markets in Europe. The additional oil route would originate in Baku, continue via pipeline through Georgia, by ship to Odesa, and then again via pipeline through western Ukraine. Officially the U.S. supports the Baku-Jeyhan route, though Mr. Tarasyuk stated that the alternate route proposed by Ukraine is not a threat and both could be economically viable.

Later that day, Mr. Tarasyuk's meeting with Mr. Cohen began with an official ceremony in front of the Pentagon. On the eve of the first anniversary on July 8 of the signing of the Ukraine-NATO Charter on a Distinctive Partnership, among the topics discussed were Ukraine's continuing cooperation in the "Partnership for Peace" efforts, as well as other European and global security issues, including recent nuclear tests in Pakistan and India.