Madrid of 1997 will undoubtedly go down in history as a city where the dividing line left by the Cold War in the very centre of Europe, is eliminated. Yesterday a decision was made to invite to the membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization the Polish Republic, Hungary and the Czech Republic - democratic countries, closeneighbours and partners of Ukraine.
Today is of particular significance too.
Right after the ceremony the Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Council's session will start. This newforum of deepened cooperation will enable us all to work closer together in the political field andwill provide for a new approach in the realization of the Partnership for Peace programme. In a few minutes the Charter on Special Cooperation between Ukraine and NATO will be signed. This historic document is going to be another convincing piece of evidence that the new securityarchitecture, based on openness and partnership, is steadily being constructed in the Europeancontinent. In the conclusion of the Charter, the deep internal transformation of the North Atlantic Alliance is reflected, as well as the democratic course of Ukraine and its real gains in integration into theEuropean and Euro-Atlantic structures.