On Monday, Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman and Deputy Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Alexander Vershbow discussed the prospects of cooperation between Ukraine and NATO in Brussels (Belgium).
The parties highly appreciated the state of bilateral relations. The Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada noted that at the moment Ukraine is facing two huge challenges: external threats and complicated internal situation. "However, despite the situation in Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada shows its ability to take important decisions," he noted.
The Chairperson of the Ukrainian Parliament informed about the course of the key reforms in Ukraine, in particular, the ones touching the fight against corruption and the decentralization of power. Groysman noted that before summer this year, the Ukrainian Parliament would be able to complete amending the Constitution of Ukraine in terms of justice.
At the same time, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada said that the dynamics of reforms in the country required certain intensification. "It is important to continue reforms. We have to make changes that will turn Ukraine into a modern state," Groysman said.
The Ukrainian Speaker also pointed out the necessity for enhancement of the competence of the bodies of state power in Ukraine, which, according to him, will facilitate more effective structure and approaches in the government. "The strategic issue does not lie in the decision-making, but in effective implementation of such decision," he noted.
Groysman informed that Ukraine continues seeking ways to overcome the crisis and noted that all the participants in the political process are in constant active negotiations.
The Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada noted that Ukraine was committed to implementation of the Minsk agreements and pointed out that all the parties of the agreements must observe them.
In turn Deputy Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Alexander Vershbow expressed confidence that the Russian Federation fears successful and reformed Ukraine the most.
Mr. Vershbow also thanked the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for the ratification of the Agreement on the status of the NATO office in Ukraine.