GUAM Transforms into Formal Regional Organization

The Foreign Ministers from the GUAM member states – Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova – agreed on May 22 to create a regional Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM, on the basis of this informal group, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.

The Foreign Ministers (Moldova was represented by the Deputy Foreign Minister) gathered in Kiev to prepare a number of declarations and documents which are expected to be approved at the summit of heads of states from GUAM on May 23 in Kiev. Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus attends the summit as a guest.

GUAM leaders are expected to sign a joint declaration on conflict resolution issues; a charter for the new regional organization; as well as a communique of the summit.

The headquarters of the organization will be based in the Ukrainian capital.

The Foreign Ministers have also signed a protocol on implementation of the Agreement on Establishment of Free Trade Area among the GUAM states.

“This signature opens the door for the full-fledged implementation of the mentioned agreement and respectively boosts economic cooperation among the GUAM Member States. With this step, the newly established organization has already proved its viability, as neighboring initiatives or organizations have not been able to implement similar agreements since their creation,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

“The Ministers emphasized that GUAM’s activities will be aimed at enhancement of democracy, adherence to the rule of law, respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, economic development of States and the ensuring of security and stability in the region,” according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry.

Originally, the GUAM was formed by Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova in 1997, with U.S. backing, and was perceived as an alternative to the Russian dominated Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Uzbekistan officially joined the coalition in 1999 and the organization was renamed into GUUAM.

However, Uzbekistan announced that it would pull out from the organization in 2002. Following this announcement, Uzbekistan started ignoring all summits and working meetings that were held in frames of GUUAM. Eventually, Uzbekistan officially announced that it would withdraw from the GUUAM on May 5, 2005.

This summit of GUAM leaders comes against the background of Georgia’s increasing criticism towards the Commonwealth of Independent States. Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili said on May 13 that the “political decision” about Georgia’s withdrawal from the CIS is clear “but discussions are now underway about when and how to do this.”

Bezhuashvili said after the Foreign Ministers meeting in Kiev on May 23 that the GUAM has no plans to “compete with the CIS.”

But he added that the GUAM will be a more effective organization, as its members have “common goals,” while the position of the different CIS member states “do not coincide on many issues.”