RUSSIAN TV PORTRAYS GUAM SUMMIT AS US-FUNDED BID TO WEAKEN CIS

RTR Russia TV, Moscow
23 May 06

[Presenter Tatyana Aleksandrova] In Kiev today the summit of the GUAM
organization opened. This abbreviation stands for Georgia, Ukraine,
Azerbaijan and Moldova. Previously it also included Uzbekistan, which
left last year. The union first appeared in 1997 and until now did
not have any clear aims. The Kiev summit is a declaration of purpose.

GUAM has officially declared itself the Organization for Democracy
and Economic Development.

[Presenter Mikhail Antonov] However, many observers see its main task
as being even more precise: the creation of a counterbalance to the
CIS and the provision of an energy corridor from Caspian oil and gas
fields to Europe, which bypasses Russian territory. The people who
thought up this plan and are willing to finance it can only be found
far beyond the boundaries of the former Soviet Union. In light of this,
the abbreviation GUAM appears unexpectedly fortunate. In the Pacific
Ocean, there is an island called Guam – the well-known American base
from which the USA put political and military pressure on those it
disliked. For example, it was from here that it bombed Vietnam.

Our observer Yevgeniy Roshkov has the facts and comment.

[Correspondent] The presidents of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and
Moldova did not speak their native languages today. The leaders of
GUAM, an organization that does not include Russia, was united by the
Russian language. This was the language they used today to prove that
their meeting meant business.

[Azeri President Ilham Aliyev] We have not gathered here to gang up
against anyone. We have gathered to work constructively, to cooperate,
to achieve progress on mutually beneficial projects.

[Correspondent] The first item on the agenda: renaming the alliance.

Now it is not just simply GUAM, but also the Organization for Democracy
and Development. They are even intending to spread democracy: Moldova
will spread it to Dniester Region, Azerbaijan to Nagornyy Karabakh
and Georgia to Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Ukraine promised to help
resolve conflicts. By peaceful means – if possible.

But, as for development, it became clear that this was aimed
exclusively at the West.

[Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko] Azerbaijan has unique oil
deposits. Ukraine has unique transit capabilities. Why not unite
forces?

[Correspondent] To all appearances, transporting oil and gas from the
Caspian to Europe while bypassing Russia is the super-goal for which
the alliance was created. And the key player here is Azerbaijan –
without it GUAM would be nothing other than a discussion group.

And Georgia and Moldova have interests in another area – alcohol.

They proposed creating a free trade zone on GUAM territory, so they
could sell their wine. The Russian market is closed to them, but
[Moldovan] President [Vladimir] Voronin still cannot understand why.

[Passage omitted: Voronin says that wine, being a natural liquid,
may go off in the bottle]

[Correspondent] This is true – wine is a natural product, it can go
off, [Georgian President] Mikheil Saakashvili repeated. But for some
reason no-one made any mention about the quantities of unfit wine
found in Russian shops.

Then they talked about the prospects for the CIS. Baku and Kiev gave
to understand that they didn’t intend to leave. Chisinau and Tbilisi
have given this serious consideration and are making calculations.

[Saakashvili] We have charged our government, the Georgian government,
with working out what we would win and what we would lose. We are
not just simply sitting still and not taking decisions.

[Correspondent] The members of GUAM did not give details of the sums
of money needed and where they will come from. But Russia and Ukraine
have already clearly identified an American trail here. Although
there is doubt that it will lead anywhere.

[Mikhail Pogrebinskiy, political analyst] GUAM can be seen as an
instrument for implementing US policy in the former Soviet area,
which will, of course, in some senses be a counterbalance [to Russia
and the CIS].

[Sergey Markov, director of the Political Research Institute] If the
Americans fund an anti-Russian project in the form of GUAM or the
Community of Democratic Choice, then they [these organizations] will
develop. If they don’t give the money, then they won’t develop. If
not a single kopek is given, then they will simply die out.

[Correspondent] But the four leaders of GUAM did not discuss such
distant prospects. It was time for lunch, at which the menu was
undoubtedly written in Russian.

[At 2015 gmt RTV’s “Vesti Plyus” news bulletin featured a longer
version of Sergey Markov’s comments on the GUAM summit. “They have
gathered together with the aim of creating an anti-Russian coalition,
to shut the Russian bear up in its Siberian lair, to isolate Russia
from Europe and exploit us as much as possible. They want to get rid
of all our channels of communication, our oil and gas pipelines, and
take all our profits for themselves. Quite simply their main aim is
to exploit Russia.. However, they can’t do this themselves. So they
are asking the Americans to support them, because they haven’t the
money for any such projects,” Markov said]