Today, we mark the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development — GUAM. Twenty years ago, on May 23, 2006, leaders of four friendly nations and strategic partners gathered in Kyiv to inaugurate a new organization aimed at contributing to the regional peace, stability, and prosperity through means of economic cooperation.
This was a logical and consequential development of the GUAM initiative conceived in 1997 by the founding fathers of GUAM, national leaders who stood at the beginning of the regained independence of their nations after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, and acted resolutely for its strengthening.
Together with independence, all our Member States inherited a plethora of wars, ethnic conflicts, separatist movements, all sorts of tensions instigated, imposed and manipulated from the former metropole to keep these countries under its control, or sphere of influence.
Regardless of all the conflicts and problems that seriously impeded regional cooperation and posed serious threats to regional and international security and stability, the launch and take off the ODED-GUAM was successful and promising. The Organization held sequential annual Summits, after the inaugural in 2006, in 2007 — in Baku, and in July 2008 — in Batumi. These Summits have developed strategic vision and comprehensive agenda. International community enthusiastically supported new development.
However, these promising development and positive dynamics were interrupted in August 2008, by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Georgia, resulted in occupation and annexation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.
Then followed 2014, the Russian aggression against Ukraine with occupation of parts of Donbass region and annexation of Crimea. And then – 24 February 2022.
20 years have passed, and we all ended up in a more dangerous and unpredictable world. We celebrate this Jubilee at a time when international law is brutally violated, the rules-based order is broken, the system of international relations and its main institutions are impotent and dysfunctional. As a result, wars, conflicts and calamities spreading across the globe, causing ever more risks and threats to global peace and security.
Unfortunately, our region and the GUAM Member States are at the epicenter of the violent instability and escalating tensions.
Today, we are also marking 1550 days of brutal, illegal, unprovoked, and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. We strongly condemn this aggression and call upon the progressive and responsible international community to multiply and strengthen their support of Ukraine to ensure a soon, just, and lasting peace.
From day one of this ugly war, we stand firmly in solidarity with Ukraine. The GUAM Secretariat never closed, and we continued to serve the interests of our Member States and render possible support and assistance to the Ukrainian people living through the hardships of this atrocious and destructive war. We admire the resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of the hardships of war, as well as the bravery and heroism of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
We wish Georgia and the Republic of Moldova a just and lasting resolution of their territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognized borders and the realization of the cherished aspirations of their peoples for freedom, independence, and a European future.
We congratulate the Republic of Azerbaijan on the recent glorious victory and the restoration of its territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognized borders. The only one from our Member States, so far, who managed to get rid of imposed and manipulated conflict. We commend the authorities of the republic for the successful implementation of the comprehensive plans of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the liberated territories and the Program of Great Return of the people to their native lands. We wish every success to the genuine, persistent efforts of the leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan to achieve just and lasting peace with the Republic of Armenia.
We also believe that the perpetrators of crimes against our nations and those committed on their territories should be brought to justice to prevent such crimes in the future.
We strongly believe in the ODED-GUAM and its mission to transform our region into a zone of peace, security, stability, and prosperity.
On this solemn occasion, we wish to thank all those who contributed to the formation and development of ODED-GUAM into a mature, capable, and potent regional organization.
We pay tribute to the founding fathers of the GUAM for their political wisdom and strategic foresight.
We also want to thank our partner countries and international organizations for their trust in and support for the ODED-GUAM and call on them to increase their support and engagement.
We are open for cooperation with all who share our principles and objectives.
Current geopolitical developments have highlighted in a more pronounced manner the ever-increasing geostrategic significance of the GUAM geography, first and foremost as a natural shortcut between East and West, Europe and Asia. Through comprehensive and inclusive cooperation, we can transform this area into a zone of peace, security, and prosperity, to the benefit and in the interests of all nations. The ODED-GUAM, as a developed regional organization, can serve as a unifying platform and efficient regional tool to that aim.
To avoid further wars and conflicts this region should be transformed into an essential integral part of wider comprehensive connectivity and security architecture, to serve the interest of our nations and of wider international community. We are confident that the ODED-GUAM has the potential to serve this purpose as a principal regional stakeholder.
The GUAM Secretariat congratulates the Member States with the Jubilee, expresses its gratitude to the GUAM Member States for their continuous support and wants to reassure that it will continue to spare no efforts to further contribute to the development and advancement of comprehensive and fruitful cooperation among our countries.
Happy 20th Anniversary the ODED-GUAM!
