Verkhovna Rada ratifies 1992 Open Skies Treaty (03/19/00)

Verkhovna Rada ratifies 1992 Open Skies Treaty

Embassy of Ukraine

WASHINGTON - On March 2 the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Open Skies Treaty. Of the 322 members of Parliament present, 250 voted for ratification.

The Open Skies Treaty, which was signed by 25 countries on March 24, 1992, in Helsinki, Finland, promotes openness and transparency in military activities through reciprocal, unarmed observation overflights. Designed to enhance security confidence, the treaty gives each signatory the right to gather information about the military force and activities of other signatories.

After the ratification, Ukraine may determine two or three open sky airports that will decrease the maximum range of observation overflights to 1,200-1,500 kilometers and limit the data that can be collected under the passive quota of eight or more flights. For the time being, Ukraine has designated one airfield as an "opensky" airfield, Boryspil, outside Kyiv, the maximum range of observation overflight being 2,100 kilometers.

On March 2 the Parliament of Ukraine also ratified the agreement between NATO and Partnership for Peace program participants concerning the status of their armed forces, and an additional protocol to this agreement (SOFA). The ratification was approved by 228 of the 319 members of Parliament present. Ukraine signed this agreement on May 6, 1996, in Brussels. Ratification of the SOFA agreement will allow Ukraine to fully benefit from military and economic advantages of the Partnership for Peace program.

The Ukraine-NATO Commission, which met on March 1 in ambassadorial session in Kyiv, welcomed this decision "which enhances the possibilities for Ukraine-NATO joint activities in the framework of the Partnership for Peace program." The members of the commission acknowledged the strategic nature of the NATO-Ukraine relationship and welcomed Ukraine's consistent efforts to develop closer ties with the alliance.

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