US Secretary of State Colin Powell has confirmed the Bush administration’s interest in further restoration of full-fledged partnership with Ukraine, which he called a very important country for both Europe and the United States. Secretary Powell said this on September 4 in Washington when meeting newly-appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kostiantyn Hryshchenko. The Secretary of State congratulated Mr. Hryshchenko on his appointment and expressed gratitude for the decision to send a Ukrainian Armed Forces contingent to Iraq as part of the multinational stabilization force as well as for effective assistance to the international community in peacekeeping operations in Africa and elsewhere. Promoting Ukraine’s integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures while assisting in further democratization and building civil society is the top priority in the US policy toward Ukraine, he said. The embassy noted that Sec. Powell had assured Mr. Hryshchenko that he was personally ready to maintain an active and open dialog with the Ukrainian foreign minister and thanked him for the invitation to pay an official visit to Ukraine.
