Saakashvili: GUAM a vehicle for Baltic-Black Sea Stability, EU integration

Speaking in Kiev after his talks with President Victor Yushchenko, President Mikheil Saakashvili said that the GUAM regional organization should play the role of a union of countries aiming for Euro-Atlantic integration.

“We are speaking about re-establishment of the the Baltic-Black Sea rim of stability,” Saakashvili said, stressing that such a union is not directed against any third country.

This announcement follows on the heels of the news that the Lithuanian President has been invited to the GUAM summit scheduled for April in Chisinau, Moldova.

“The President of Romania will also attend the GUUAM Summit,” Saakashvili added.

Saakashvili’s statement seems to indicate that GUAM would redirect its focus on the Black Sea region, thus reverting back to its original composition of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, dropping Uzbekistan, which suspended its participation several years ago.

Although the cooperation between Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia has expanded as of late, the position of the Azeri leadership remains unknown. President Ilham Aliev has so far been cautious about irritating Russia by accentuating its GUAM membership.

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