December 16, 2016

December 19, 2008

More

Eight years ago, on December 19, 2008, the United States and Ukraine signed a “Charter on Strategic Partnership” in an affirmation of the deepening of the security, economic, energy and other aspects of the bilateral relationship. And in the last sentence of the charter document, the U.S. announced its intention to open a U.S. diplomatic post in Symferopol. “Ukraine welcomes the United States’ intention to establish an American diplomatic presence (American Presence Post) in Symferopol.”

The document was signed at the U.S. State Department in Washington by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko.

During a press briefing, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the matter of opening a diplomatic presence in Crimea was a bilateral matter between the U.S. and Ukraine, and if the Russian government “chooses to be upset” by this, “well, there’s not much I can do about that.” The presence, he explained, would include one or two diplomats who would be tasked with working on cultural exchanges, events and political reporting, among other duties.

Mr. Ohryzko noted that U.S.-Ukraine relations “have truly attained the level of a strategic partnership” in such areas as defense, security, the economy, human rights, cultural and people-to-people contacts. With an increased presence of the United States in Ukraine, particularly Crimea, Mr. Ohryzko underscored that it was very important to increase our contacts in the regions of Ukraine.

The first part of the charter states that “support for each other’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders constitutes the foundation of our bilateral relations.” A “strong, independent and democratic Ukraine” was a shared vital interest and that integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions was “a mutual priority.” This expanded cooperation and support of Ukraine’s candidacy for NATO membership was to include “enhanced training and equipment for Ukrainian armed forces.”

Other areas of cooperation included strengthening democratic institutions, enhancing law enforcement against common threats such as terrorism, organized crime, trafficking, money laundering and cyber crime.

Regarding Crimea, Mr. Ohryzko said that just as the Balaklava submarine base was decommissioned and saw the area developed into a tourist attraction with hotels, restaurants and the like, Sevastopol could also enjoy that same transformation and economic development.

Ukraine had no intention of extending the leasing agreement with Russia that was set to expire in 2017, but following the election of Viktor Yanukovych as president, a new lease known as the Kharkiv Pact was signed in 2011 and extended the basing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol until 2042. With Russia’s annexation of the peninsula, all of these basing agreements at Sevastopol have been determined by Russia to be null and void.

Source: “U.S. and Ukraine affirm relations in Charter on Strategic Partnership,” by Yaro Bihun, The Ukrainian Weekly, December 28, 2008.

Comments are closed.