Perry tour includes Kyiv, Pervomaiske (01/07/96)

Perry tour includes Kyiv, Pervomaiske

KYIV - U.S. Secretary of Defense William J. Perry departed Washington on January 1 on an eight-country, seven-day trip to Europe and the Middle East.

On January 4 the secretary was to visit Kyiv for bilateral discussions with Ukrainian government officials as well as a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian Minister of Defense Valeriy Shmarov and Russian Minister of Defense Pavel Grachev.

In his meetings with President Leonid Kuchma and Minister Shmarov, Secretary Perry will emphasize America-s commitment to strengthening the U.S. defense partnership with Ukraine, promoting trade and investment in Ukraine, and working with Ukraine through the Partnership for Peace program to assist Ukraine in building strong regional ties.

The U.S. Information Service noted that the meeting with Ministers Shmarov and Grachev demonstrates not only a community of interests as exemplified by efforts toward nuclear disarmament but also practical cooperation in promoting regional security, first through participation in UNPROFOR and now by taking part with the United States in IFOR (the Implementation Force in Bosnia).

On January 5, Secretary Perry and his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts were to jointly participate in completing the demolition of an ICBM missile silo in Pervomaiske, Ukraine.

Following the silo destruction, there was to be a separate ceremony marking the turnover to Ukrainian officers of housing built under the U.S.-funded Cooperative Threat Reduction Program of the U.S. Department of Defense. This initiative is a unique and comprehensive program that has assisted Ukraine in eliminating weapons of mass destruction left from the Soviet era, thereby mitigating the dangers of nuclear confrontation and proliferation.

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