On 29 November 2018 the Second International Maritime Security Conference, organized by the leadership of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the International Security and Defense Policy Center was held in Kyiv.
The event was very timely in view of recent armed attacks on the Ukrainian military vessels in the Kerch Straight by the Russians aggressors. The Head of the Department of the International Connection attended the conference.
The conference was opened with the statements of Ihor Voronchenko, Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and Anna Hopko, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Affairs on the response of the government to the circumstances of the incident by appealing to the international partners to strengthen sanctions pressure on the RF and to enhance support to Ukraine in an unequal struggle against Kremlin. Judith Gouth, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Great Britain to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Olexandr Vinnikov, the Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine condemned the Russian’s naval aggression and expressed their full political support to Ukraine.
The debates were focused on the modern security challenges in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov and searching the ways for the adequate response to them including social, political and economic impacts of changes in security. During the panel discussion, due regard was given to the NATO policy in the region in the light of the current situation to support the development of the powerful naval capacities for Ukraine and coordination of the efforts to achieve the operational military and naval cooperation with Euro Atlantic Alliance.
Among the speakers of the conference were Yevhen Marchuk, the Prime Minister of Ukraine (1995-1996), the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (1991-1994), Minister of Defense of Ukraine (2003-2004), Sergiy Taruta, the People’s Deputy of Ukraine, the Head of Donetsk State Administration in 2014, Andriy Klymenko, the head of the supervisory board at the Maidan of Foreign Affairs Foundation , expert on Crimean issues, Debora Sanders, Strategic Study Institute of Great Britain, specialist on the Black Sea region, Nency Lacore the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Forces in Europe, Africa, Ian Lover, Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy of Great Britain. Also the representatives of the military attaches of foreign missions in Ukraine, home military experts and specialists on international law of the sea were involved into the conference as well.
