The Eastern Partnership countries - Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan - are a priority this year, during which cooperation is very topical in the European Union.
NGO cooperation projects
Madara Siliņa from the Development Co-operation Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs thinks that the main goals of cooperation with Ukraine are good governance, especially fighting corruption, fostering development of democratic and civil society, rural development, Development of agricultural sector. She also said that more than 500,000 euros - one third of the Development Co-operation budget - were been allocated to Ukraine last year. This year 300 000 euros, of which 150 000 to bilateral projects, of Latvian official development assistance have been already allocated to Ukraine.
The NGO sector has seen the most development and as such takes an active role in drafting and implementing state governance reforms. A number of Latvian NGOs, like Delna - Transparency International have sent representatives to meet with their Ukrainian counterparts that actively cooperate with the Rada to bring about change in governance.
However, most of them said that state officials are leaning towards talking, rather than doing when it comes to reformation.
"You may have heard that Ukraine expected visa-free entry from the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga. We, as the non-state sector, knew that it's not quite possible yet, but our government insisted that that is their goal in the Summit," said Dmitro Shulga, director of the European program in The International Renaissance Foundation.
However, one other goal was reached, namely, that Ukraine is joining the EU Free Trade Area next year, though many Ukrainians are quite frustrated for the slow reformations since the government was overturned.
The Verkhovna Rada has passed or amended more than 20 laws according to EU requests for reforms. Local NGOs think that Latvia could be of help as a successful example as many more new legislations and reforms should be taken, and as of now the priorities are fighting corruption and de-centralization of state power, said the Latvian Ambassador to Ukraine Argita Daudze.
Ukraine has chosen similar means Latvia chose to combat corruption. A National Anti-Corruption Bureau was created, and the establishment of a Corruption prevention bureau is also on the way.
According to representatives of Ukrainian NGOs, though, corruption is still pervasive across the country, from healthcare to police and the government sector.
Humanitarian relief in Ukraine
The so-called informal cooperation between Latvia and Ukraine has brought some tangible results, though, as people who have suffered in the war zones in Ukraine are undergoing treatment in Latvia, while Latvian psychologists in Odessa are helping Ukrainian soldiers to overcome psychological traumas.
Latvian Radio visited the Ukrainian Red Cross that has received three support shipments from Rīga. With the money that they have received they can purchase vouchers, which people who have emmigrated from the war-torn regions of Ukraine can use to buy food at stores.
The "From Family to Family" project helps children, who have lost a parent in the war zones, rehabilitate in guest families in Europe. About 500 children have lived in Europe for a month. 70 of them spent time in Latvia, told the author and manager of the project Yaroslav Malko. He said that children who go abroad are stressed and worried, but when they come back their eyes are bright and they want to live on.
Malko added that "human relief" is very important to Ukrainians too, and sometimes it's more than material help.
As for the reforms in state governance, Ukraine is still on the track where Latvia was in the late 90s and early 2000s. Even though changes aren't groundbreaking, the first steps have been taken, and Ukrainians have chosen European values.
