Third meeting of the Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of GUUAM in Tbilisi

Washington, D.C. May 29, 2003. On May 24, the third meeting of the Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of GUUAM took place in Tbilisi, Georgia. Delegations of the U.S. Department of State, UN, OSCE, European Commission, the World Bank, EBRD, IOM, SECI, BSEC also participated as guests in the meeting.

Another round of consultations within the framework of GUUAM-US dialogue with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs B.Lynn Pascoe was held and the joint GUUAM-U.S. statement following the meeting was released.

The Heads of GUUAM delegations considered the activity and implementation of the decisions of the second meeting of the Council held on December 6-7, 2002, in Porto, Portugal. They put special emphasis on the dynamic achieved in the matter of GUUAM institutionalization and on importance of joint efforts to obtain its observer status at the UN General Assembly. The Council reviewed the functioning and effectiveness of the GUUAM working groups with a view to improving them. Cooperation among diplomatic missions of GUUAM nations in Washington, New York and Vienna was suggested to be expanded.

It was also stated that in line with the existing practice of regional organizations functioning, enhanced activity of GUUAM Information Office in Kyiv, Ukraine, contains substantial opportunities for coordinating GUUAM specific projects and programs of cooperation.

The Ministerial Council discussed undergoing preparations for GUUAM Summit to be held on July 3-4, in Yalta, Ukraine, and agreed on joint arrangements to this end.

The Council underlined the progress reached in implementation of the GUUAM-U.S. Framework Program and affirmed its readiness to move forward with the specific projects envisaged by the Program, which includes “Virtual Center” to combat terrorism, drug trafficking and other dangerous types of crime, Interstate information processing center as well as border security and customs control projects aimed at trade and transport facilitation. Implementing documents pertaining these projects will be submitted for signature at the GUUAM Summit.

The Council discussed implementation of the project on GUUAM Free Trade Area and stressed the necessity to complete national procedures for the Agreement on Establishment of Free Trade Area prior to the Summit in Yalta.

The Ministers underscored the importance of cooperation between GUUAM and interested countries, international and regional organizations and initiatives, and necessity to establish partnership relations through joint programs, or by granting the observer status. In this connection, it was deemed necessary to use the South European Cooperation Initiative experience gained from implementation of specific projects and programs, and put forward a proposal to the SECI on granting the observer status on the mutual basis.