29 June 2007

At the meeting of the GUAM summit of the Heads of States, 26 June, Yushchenko said GUAM “has walked a long path from being an informal alliance of friends to becoming a full-fledged international organization.” “GUAM has become an important regional example of how sovereign nations can unite to promote democratic values and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. We have clearly determined its political and economic vectors,” he said, adding that the world community was obviously interested in GUAM, its activities and prospects“. 30 delegations and international organizations from different corners of the world attended the summit, and GUAM makes new friends and finds new partners.” He said its leaders had held talks with Poland yesterday and planned to build closer ties with the United States and Japan.

Yushchenko said GUAM “has achieved a number of practical results.” It has launched a virtual center and an international information system to fight terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking, he said, adding that its members would soon start economic and transportation projects and were negotiating a free trade agreement.

The president said it was one of their priorities to establish international transportation routes. “We have all the opportunities and capabilities to reopen the Silk Road,” he said, expressing hopes GUAM’s governments “will spare no effort” to ensure that trains run regularly between Illichivsk and Klaipeda and ferries between Illichivsk and Poti.

Yushchenko announced that Azerbaijan would now hold the GUAM presidency. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan said the GUAM members were cooperating effectively and “have the serious political will” to enhance their cooperation. He said GUAM played an important role in Eurasia and praised its capabilities, adding that its members “have the same goals and intentions.”