Yanukovich against GUAM

Viktor Yanukovich, who may soon be Ukraine’s President, stated on February 3 that he does not consider that GUAM is conducting any useful activities and its purpose has disappeared. For the last five years it has negotiated things but has achieved no actual outputs.

GUAM is a regional organisation established in 1997 by Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova. From 1999 to 2005 Uzbekistan was also a member and it was called GUUAM. Its charter outlines the organisation's basic principles such as establishing democratic values, providing rule of law, protecting of human rights, securing sustainable development, providing regional and international stability and security, facilitating European integration, widening economic and humanitarian cooperation, developing the social, economic, transport and energy sectors, technical cooperation, developing humanitarian potential, facilitating political cooperation and activating practical collaboration in all spheres of common interest.

The last GUAM summit was held on October 10, 2010 in Vilnius, Lithuania. The organisation was established separately from the CIS, and one of the major incentives for doing this was to decrease its participant countries' dependence on Russia. It also sought to facilitate energy transit to Europe which bypassed Russia.