GUAM POISED TO EXTEND FORMAT, GEOGRAPHY
Nino Edilashvili
Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
June 25 2007
The participation in peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the
UN and OSCE and the formation of a energy and transport corridor –
these were the major issues, which Georgian Foreign Minister Gela
Bezhuashvili raised during the GUAM summit ( Georgia, Ukraine,
Azerbaijan and Moldova) held in Baku, Azerbaijan on June 18-19.
The summit brought together presidents from other regional countries
of former socialist orientation – Ilham Aliyev, Mikhail Saakashvili,
Victor Yushchenko, Lech Kaczynsky, Trian Basescu, Valdas Adamkus,
Bulgarian Vice-President Angel Marin, Moldovan Prime Minister Vasili
Tarlev as well as delegations from the US, Estonia and other countries.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev addressing the summit hailed the
strong showing of the organization during the one-year chairmanship
of Ukraine. Touching on the already operating Baku-Supsa,
Baku-Novorossiysk and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipelines,
Aliyev refreshed participants’ memory on the large debate on
Odessa-Brody-Gdansk oil pipeline at a recent summit in Krakow and said
political support was demonstrated for the project at the previous
summit. "Moreover, European market is taking a keen interest in
Azerbaijani gas, including the Shah Deniz gas pipeline.
Azerbaijan’s operational gas fields contain 1.5 trillion cubic
meters of gas. Moreover, there exists the most advanced transport
infrastructure: Baku-Tbilisi-Arzurum gas pipeline. which will transport
this gas to European markets," he added.
GUAM, which is a regional organization comprised of four ex-Soviet
and now CIS member countries (Commonwealth of Independent States),
was established in 1997 as a political, economic, and strategic
alliance to counter Russian presence and influence in the area and
to seek deeper ties with Euro-Atlantic and European structures.
Initially an informal grouping, GUAM morphed into the more structured
Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (ODED), with
headquarters in Kiev, last year. For most observers, and even
participants, however, the organization still goes by the old name.
Valeri Chechelashvili, former Georgian First Deputy Foreign Minister
is the current secretary general.
As he was speaking of the implementation of the Odessa-Brody oil
pipeline, Ukrainian President Yushchenko said that the pipeline is
planned to reach Poland. "We aim to ensure complete operation of
free trade zones. The free trade zones will conform to the demands
of the World Trade Organization. There are Abkhazian, South Ossetian,
Transdnestrian and Nagorno Karabakh conflicts in our countries. These
problems need to be debated. The solution to these problems will
establish security, stability in the region. GUAM is committed to be
a guarantee of stability and security in the region," he stated.
Describing how trade turnover between GUAM member states has increased,
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili informed of the railway
projects, presenting Azerbaijan as the initiator of a geopolitical
revolution carrying out the Baku-Tbiisi-Kars project.
"We face the question of territorial conflicts. We should act in
solidarity regarding such issues," Saakashvili said.
Polish President Lech Kaczyñski said that GUAM transformed from an
economic organization into a political alliance. "A part of these
debates are connected with energy. Odessa-Brody oil pipeline is of
great importance. On the other hand GUAM member states are considering
prospects of cooperation with NATO. We have enough practice in this
field. We can offer assistance to GUAM states," he said. Kaczyñski
also stressed that GUAM member states are of great importance for the
European Union. "GUAM states have large energy resources. Cultural
relations among these countries is a very significant issue. We
are interested in political cooperation with GUAM states. There are
interesting initiatives in GUAM which are observed for the first time,"
he noted.
At a meeting of foreign ministers from the GUAM member states, Georgian
Foreign Mnister Gela Bezhuashvili well underlined the need to establish
tighter economic ties among GUAM member states. The creation of a
competitive energy and transport corridor and the harmonization of
border and customs procedures, he said, should become an important
part of economic cooperation, which eventually should help diversify
transit routes to allow Caspian and Central Asian crude oil and other
hydrocarbon based energy products to easily make there way through
GUAM member states towards Europe.
Azerbaijani President also drew attention to the protracted conflicts
within GUAM member state’s territory. "These conflicts are called
frozen conflicts. In fact they are not frozen. This peace is very
fragile and can be violated any time." He underlined that the world
community will never recognize criminal regimes in Abkhazia, South
Ossetia, Transnistria and Nagorno Karabakh."
However, most vital at the Baku summit for Georgia was the issue
of establishing joint peacekeeping units since Tbilisi has long
been striving to replace Russian-dominated peacekeeping units in
its conflict zones of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Minister Gela
Bezhuashvili called for increased military-political cooperation among
GUAM member states, and in particular, for the formation of a joint
peace forces. "Participation in peacekeeping operations under the
auspices of the UN and OSCE would further boost the organization’s
international status," Bezhuashvili said.
The issue was earlier discussed at a meeting in Tbilisi a year ago.
On August 17, 2006, the closed-door meeting in the Georgian capital of
Tbilisi, which brought together representatives of defence ministries
and general staffs of the Armed Forces of Georgia, Ukraine and
Azerbaijan, addressed further development of military cooperation in
the framework of GUAM. Creation of a joint peacekeeping battalion
reportedly topped the agenda of the discussion. This battalion,
according to the Georgian Ministry of Defence, will be comprised of
contingents from each member-state and could potentially be engaged
in the humanitarian and peacekeeping operations led by the UN, OSCE,
NATO and the EU.
Russian-backed separatist conflicts within GUAM, namely in Abkhazia,
South Ossetia, Transdnestria and Nagorno-Karabakh, give good reason
for GUAM member countries to unite in search of a lasting solution to
their conflicts. All GUAM members, having challenged CIS membership,
either officially or unofficially, regard military cooperation within
GUAM as a prerequisite for entry into NATO, which is seen in the long
run as a guarantor of eventual stabilisation in the conflict zones,
and most importantly, as guarantor of diminished Russian influence
in the Caspian-Black Sea region.
Within the framework of the summit, Baku also hosted a GUAM-U.S. format
meeting as well as a GUAM-Japan format meeting, which was another
interesting point of the event since Japan has only recently
demonstrated interest in the organization. Last November, Japanese
Foreign Minister Taro Aso called for greater ties with GUAM member
states as part of Tokyo’s "arc of freedom and prosperity" initiative.
Unlike Japan, the United States has been a staunch supporter of GUAM
since its inception in 1997.
The Baku summit of GUAM ended with concluding four documents: Baku
declaration, GUAM’s development strategy on spheres, 2007-2008 program
on rotation of chairmanship to Azerbaijan and communique of the second
summit. Baku declaration states that the mutual cooperation of GUAM
member states will contribute to finding a fair solution to regional
conflicts. The declaration calls on GUAM member states to strengthen
relations with partnership countries and ratify GUAM’s regulations
with the parliaments of the member states.
–Boundary_(ID_X5Vvqc6Z69SvrUDxxn8S0g)–