On September 26, 2012 in New York city within the framework of the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly, the 18th Meeting of the Council of GUAM Ministers of Foreign Affairs (CMFA) took place. The event involved the following dignitaries: the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. E. Mammediarov (who chaired the Meeting); the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mr. G. Vashadze; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mr. K. Gryshshenko; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Moldova to United States, Mr. I. Munteanu; and the Secretary General of GUAM, Mr. Valeri Chechelashvili.
The CMFA considered various issues related to political interaction, sectoral cooperation, cooperation with partner countries and other international organisations, as well as financial issues.
The CMFA continued to exchange views on the interaction process between GUAM member states within the framework of item 35 of Agenda of the 66th GA UN Session “Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development”.
The CMFA adopted the Draft Resolution “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM” to submit for nomination at the UN GA Session.
The CMFA welcomed the GUAM PA’s decision to send observers to the parliamentary elections in Georgia (to take place on October 1, 2012) and to the elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (to take place on October 28, 2012).
The CMFA considered issues related to the development of sectoral cooperation, particularly in the field of transport, tourism, economy and trade, culture, science and education, energy, and also with respect to combating organised crime and money laundering.
The CMFA expressed its gratitude to the Chairing Party for organising the GUAM Secretary General’s visit to the OSCE headquarters in Vienna on May 17, 2012, for his address to the OSCE Permanent Committee, for the meeting held with the Secretary General of the OSCE and other officials of the OSCE Secretariat, and for preparing the GUAM Secretary General’s visit to Brussels in order to hold meetings with representative of various EU institutions.
The CMFA approved the Decision to approve the report on the budget of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM for the year 2011 and the Decision to approve the budget of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM for the year 2013.
The CMFA decided to hold an extraordinary Meeting dedicated to the 15th Anniversary of GUAM on October 10, 2012 in the GUAM Secretariat in Kyiv.
