The Second Summit of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM was held on 18-19 June 2007 in Baky, Azerbaijan, under the motto “GUAM: Bringing Continents Together”. The regular meetings of the Council of Heads of State, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Coordinators, and GUAM-US, GUAM-Japan and GUAM-Poland meetings as well as joint sessions of the heads of sector ministries and agencies and other events took place in the framework of the Summit.

The Council of Heads of State held its session in an enlarged format with the participation of the Presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova and the special guests – Presidents of Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Vice-President of Bulgaria, Vice-Speaker of Estonia, Minister of Economy of Latvia, high-level representatives of the USA, Japan, OSCE, BSEC, UNESCO, Heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Azerbaijan.

The Council thanked President of Ukraine Mr. Victor Yushenko for the successful chairmanship in the GUAM in the period between the Kyiv and the Baky Summits. The Chairmanship in the Organization was passed to the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Council took note that the Baky Summit is held in the year of the 10th anniversary of the meeting of four Heads of State in Strasbourg on 10 October 1997, which laid down the foundation of GUAM cooperation and integration.

The Council underlined a steady growth of international influence and authority of GUAM, which indicates the support by the international community to GUAM and demonstrates that the Organization is on the right path.

The Council signed the Baky Declaration ”GUAM: Bringing Continents Together” of the Summit of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM, in which it reaffirmed the commonality of interests and approaches of the Member States and their aspiration towards creation of a common space of integration and security in the GUAM region.

At the Summit, the topical issues of the Organization’s development and implementation of the decisions of the Kyiv Summit of 2006 were discussed, and the start of activities of the GUAM Secretariat was noted. The Council approved the Programme of Chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the GUAM, the plans of interaction in the international organizations, the Calendar of GUAM activities. The GUAM budget for 2007 was approved, the budget proposals for 2008 – 2010 were elaborated, and other decisions necessary for the activity of the Organization were adopted.

As regards the issues of interaction among Member States, the paramount attention was drawn to the use of GUAM transit potential and its role as a connection linking Europe and Asia. It was noted that GUAM provided an important contribution in bringing continents together, finding common grounds and approaches to solution of pressing issues, developing inter-civilizational and inter-cultural dialogue, eliminating stereotypes, which impede international mutual understanding and cooperation. In this context, the importance of expanding the Black Sea and trans-Caspian partnership and cooperation was underlined.

The Council reaffirmed consistent course of the GUAM Member States towards consolidation of democratic values, the rule of law, formation of civil society and respect for human rights, sustainable development as well as their contribution to the strengthening of international and regional security and stability.

The Summit participants have given in their deliberations a special place to the issues pertaining to security threats and risks, including international terrorism, aggressive separatism and extremism, transnational organized crime. The Heads of State stressed that these threats, including those of unresolved conflicts and illegal presence of foreign troops and armaments on the territories of the GUAM States continued to negatively affect a full-scale democratic transformation and economic development in the region.

There were confirmed the necessity to continue joint active measures on settlement of these conflicts on the basis of respect to the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of States and in accordance with the provisions of the Joint Declaration of the GUAM Heads of State on the issue of conflict settlement, as well as the importance of mobilization of support by the international community to the GUAM position.

In this connection, the Council underlined the concerted efforts by the Member States on promotion of the draft resolution on agenda item 27 of the UN General Assembly entitled “The protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for the international peace, security and development”, and expressed gratitude to the States, which supported this GUAM initiative.

The Council expressed conviction in the solution of conflicts by means of reintegration of the affected territories into political, legal and social and economic system of state, their full rehabilitation, return of displaced persons to the places of their permanent residence, restoration of transport communications and ensuring the peaceful co-existence and cooperation between the communities in these territories as having no alternative and being just and lasting.

The Council welcomed the increased interaction of the GUAM states representatives in other states and international organizations, including the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, EU, NATO, UNESCO.

The Council took note of the joint session of the sector working groups on the economic issues at the level of heads of agencies and of the regular meeting of the GUAM Business Council held in the framework of the Summit. The issues of functioning of the GUAM Free Trade Area were discussed and the prospects of achieving the new levels of cooperation were reviewed. The Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs was instructed to explore the possibility of establishing GUAM Common Market.

The Council positively assessed the high level of cooperation in the field of fight against terrorism, organized crime, drug circulation and other dangerous crimes. The Council welcomed the conduct in the framework of the Summit of the joint session of the sector working groups on cooperation in law-enforcement and security spheres at the level of the heads of agencies.

The Council identified the prospects of development of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, including culture, education, healthcare, youth exchanges, tourism and sport. In this regard, the Council welcomed the conduct in the framework of the Summit of the joint session of the sector working groups on humanitarian cooperation and took note of the signing of the Protocol on cooperation in the field of culture for 2007-2010.

Having discussed the development of economic, law-enforcement, security and humanitarian cooperation, the Council adopted the GUAM Strategy of the development of sector cooperation to give an impetus to the efficient interaction of the GUAM States in the respective directions.

Taking note of the GUAM contribution to the maintenance of the regional and international security the Council welcomed the conclusion of the Memorandum on cooperation and mutual assistance on the issues of nuclear and radiation security in the framework of the Summit.

The Council took a good note of the successful implementation of the Trade and Transport Facilitation Project (TTF) and the Project on establishment of the Virtual Center for combating terrorism and the Interstate Information Management System (VC/IIMS), and expressed gratitude to the US Government for continuation of effective assistance in implementation of these and other cooperation programs.

The Council welcomed adoption in the framework of the Summit of the Joint GUAM-US Statement, in which the basic directions and further prospects of cooperation are identified.

Within the Summit, the first GUAM-Japan meeting took place and in accordance with its results a Statement was adopted, which creates a basis for active development of mutually beneficial contacts, first of all, in the transport, energy and ecological fields.

The Council of the Heads of State met with the President of Poland, who expressed interest in developing cooperation with GUAM. The sides identified the prospects of interaction, firstly in the fields of transport, energy, tourism, and paid special attention to the development of the GUAM transit corridor connecting Europe to Asia.

The importance of mutually beneficial contacts between GUAM and the European Union as well as regional organizations, processes and initiatives was emphasized.

The Council took note of the high level of cooperation in the framework of the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly and called upon it to actively contribute to the institutional consolidation of the Organization.

The Council welcomed the conduct in Baky on 19 June 2007 of the academic conference entitled “GUAM in the region and in the world”, and stressed the necessity to regularly hold such events with participation of the GUAM and third countries’ experts with a view to promote the Organization’s activities, what will be especially important in the year of the GUAM’s 10-th anniversary.

The Summit participants expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani side for the good organization of the Baky Summit and extended best wishes for a successful chairmanship.

The Council decided to hold its next regular session in Tbilisi, Georgia, in June 2008.