1 Nov 2019 18:53

Ukraine asks NATO to give it EOP status - Deputy PM

KYIV. Nov 1 (Interfax) - Kyiv has asked NATO to be granted the status of an Enhanced Opportunities Partner (EOP), Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba said.

"During the visit [of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg] to Kyiv [which ended on Thursday] Ukraine asked the North-Atlantic alliance to take our cooperation to a new level and grant Ukraine the status of a participant in the enhanced opportunities partnership," Kuleba said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

This means having priority access to the certification of NATO-Ukraine events, broader cooperation on intelligence, and the opportunity for representatives from the partner state to work at the NATO headquarters or agencies, he said.

The enhanced opportunities program is not a substitute for the membership action program, Kuleba said.

"We are very hopeful that the alliance will make a positive decision regarding our initiative," he said.