GUUAM NEWS
Embassies of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Uzbekistan – Washington, D.C.- December 15, 2000
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GUUAM: *On December 6, GUUAM Defense Ministers met in Brussels, where they attended an annual Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) ministerial session. The GUUAM meeting focused on further deepening of defense and security partnerships as well as on practical implementation of the joint peacekeeping battalion project. The Ministers agreed that expert groups will meet in January 2001 to prepare necessary documents related to the peacekeeping battalion, which will then be submitted to GUUAM leaders at its March 2001 GUUAM Summit. Participants also congratulated Ukraine on its Armed Forces day. Azerbaijan: *Speaking at the December 5 EAPC meeting in Brussels, Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said Azerbaijan is ready to expand its successful cooperation with NATO. He stressed that only cooperative multilateral efforts provide an opportunity to resolve regional conflicts and reduce threats of extremism and terrorism. Minister Abiyev reiterated Azerbaijan’s concern over the negative impact of the military buildup in Armenia on security and stability in South Caucasus. In related news, on December 15, Minister Abiyev met with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Nakhchivan region of Azerbaijan to discuss strengthening the existing cease-fire regime between the two countries and establishing a hotline between them. Georgia: *On December 10-11, in accordance with the November 17, 1999 Georgia-Russia Joint Statement at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, the withdrawal of CFE TLE (Treaty Limited Equipment) from Russian military base in Gudauta, Abkhazia, Georgia has begun. The United States military observers monitored the process. At this time, 44 pieces of military hardware have been removed. Moldova: *On November 22, 2000, former Moldovan Ambassador to Hungary, Mr. Nicolae Cernomaz, was appointed as Moldova’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs. |
Moldova (continued): *In two attempts on December 4 and 7, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova failed to elect the country’s new president. Neither of the two candidates – Constitutional Court Chairman Pavel Barlbalat and the Communist Party leader, Vladimir Voronin, – obtained the necessary 3/5 of the ballots to be elected. Run-off elections are scheduled for December 21. According to the Moldovan Constitution, early parliamentary elections will be called next spring if no president is elected by the end of the year. The Constitutional Court has ruled that in such a case, outgoing President Petru Lucinschi, whose mandate expires on January 15, will stay in office until the election of the new President. Ukraine: *On December 15, Ukraine permanently shut down the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, 14 years after the worst nuclear accident in history. Ukranian President Leonid Kuchma ordered the plant shut down by telephone from the ceremony in Kyiv, where delegations from more than 10 countries, including Russia, Belarus, and the United States, as well as various international organizations, awaited the event. Mr. Kuchma, who stressed the necessity of closing the nuclear plant in the interests of the Ukrainian people and the international community, said the decision was a result of years of painful experiences. Uzbekistan: *President Islam Karimov paid an official visit to Italy on November 20-22. Mr. Karimov met with his Italian counterpart, Carlo Ciampi, Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini, Pope John Paul II, as well as representatives of political and business circles. Eight bilateral political and economic cooperation agreements were signed during the visit.
On behalf of GUUAM embassies in Washington, DC, we extend our best wishes this holiday season to all our readers and friends! GUUAM NEWS is published monthly by Embassies of GUUAM countries - Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Moldova – in Washington, D.C. |