The Ukraine and European Security Programme was initiated by the IISS together with the Harvard University Ukrainian National Security Programme and supported by the Directorate for Central and Eastern Europe at the UK Ministry of Defence and the Security Policy Department of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Within the programme, the IISS has organised annual seminars designed to encourage dialogue between Ukrainian and West European policymakers on such issues as: the development of European security and defence policy; enhancing European military capabilities; cooperation between Ukraine and NATO and the challenge of restructuring national armed forces. The seminars were attended by senior Ukrainian military and national security officials, among them representatives from the Defence Ministry, General Staff, Defence Council, National Guard and Ministry of Finance. Experts from the presidential administration and members of the Parliamentary Committees on Foreign Relations and Defence also took part. The third seminar brought to London officials from Georgia and Moldova as well as from Ukraine. The seminars provided the first opportunity for the development of multilateral dialogue between senior security policy makers from Ukraine, its fellow members of GUUAM – Georgia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova – and their European counterparts.
Past Conferences
