NATO interested in cooperation with Ukraine

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is interested in cooperation with Ukraine, an official with the alliance said here Monday. "Now, more than ever there is an opportunity for partnership between Ukraine and NATO, especially at a time when all countries face many challenges, such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyber security, piracy, etc," said Natalia Nemyliwska, director of the NATO Information and Documentation Center in Kiev. At the same time, Nemyliwska stressed that NATO respects Ukraine's decision on its non-aligned status. She noticed that the alliance recognizes the sovereign right of each country to freely choose an approach to the organization. She added that good relations between Ukraine and Russia are one of the main ideas behind NATO partnership, because good relations between partners are "making our world safer." The relations between Ukraine and NATO started in 1995. In June 2010, Ukraine's government approved an action plan to implement a national program of cooperation with NATO.