On January 23-24, an international conference "Ukraine and Poland: Strategic Partnership in a New Europe" was held in Kyiv in the conference hall of the URusF hotel. The organizers of the conference were the Institute of Euro-Atlantic Cooperation (Kyiv), the Center for International Relations (Warsaw, Poland), and the Polish-American-Ukrainian Cooperation Initiative. Welcoming remarks on behalf of the conference organizers were delivered by Ambassador Borys Tarasiuk, People's Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on European Integration, Director of the Institute of Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, Dr. Janusz Onyszkiewicz, Center for International Relations (Warsaw, Poland), and John Somers, Director of the Polish-American-Ukrainian Cooperation Initiative (PAUCI). Among the distinguished invited guests who spoke at the conference were Hennadii Udovenko, People's Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations, first Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Prof. Jerzy Kozakiewicz of the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, former Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Ukraine, Prof. Volodymyr Lanovyi, President of the Center for Market Reforms, Henryk Wujec, Chairman of the Polish-Ukrainian Forum. Among other participants of this conference, it is worth noting the presence of representatives of various institutions conducting economic and political research in Ukraine and Poland, and representatives of public organizations from Kyiv and the regions of Ukraine. Volyn Oblast at this forum was represented by Serhii Pekar, an expert on international cooperation of the Intellectual Service Consortium "Leon-Analytic." All conference participants noted the extremely important role of cooperation between Poland and Ukraine both for our countries and for all of Europe as a whole. It was noted that our countries are indeed very important partners and it is no coincidence that relations between us have been elevated to the level of strategic partnership. Cooperation between Ukraine and Poland is developing and deepening every year. One of the vivid confirmations of good-neighborliness between our peoples can serve the fact that Poland was the first country to recognize Ukraine's independence. However, from May 1, 2004, a new stage in relations between Ukraine and Poland will begin. It is on this day that our western neighbors will become members of the EU, which will leave a certain imprint on various aspects of life for both Poles and Ukrainians. Our country's economy will experience significant impacts in view of the new regime for exporting goods. In addition to the political and economic directions of bilateral relations, conference participants assessed and discussed the level of cultural and educational ties and relations at the level of public organizations. Let us note that throughout the conference, the need for a final determination of the chosen course in the state toward European integration was emphasized. After all, there should be no other direction of development for Ukraine. And in this context, the strategic partnership between Poland and Ukraine can bear good fruit for the development of all of Europe and serve as a clear example of cooperation between two powerful countries with a population of about 80 million people. Therefore, such a partnership should gain momentum despite certain historical difficulties between our countries. The holding of the conference "Ukraine and Poland: Strategic Partnership in a New Europe" became the unofficial opening of the Year of Poland in Ukraine.