On March 11-12, 2014, the GUAM Secretariat in Kyiv hosted the 30th Meeting of the GUAM Council of National Coordinators (CNC). This event involved the following officials: Mr. E. Agayev, Director of the External Planning and Strategic Research Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Mr. M. Ukleba, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to Ukraine and GUAM National Coordinator for Georgia; Mr. V. Chiveri, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and GUAM National Coordinator for the Republic of Moldova, who chaired the meeting; Mr. A. Danyleiko, Director of the Department for Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; and Mr. V. Chechelashvili, Secretary General of GUAM.
During the meeting, the CNC confirmed the unconditional support of GUAM member states to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. The CNC also confirmed that all conflicts in the GUAM area must be solved through the principles set out in the Joint Declaration of the Heads of States of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM on conflict resolution, dated May 23, 2006.
It was confirmed that GUAM member states will continue to insist on the need to respect states’ sovereignty, territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders as the fundamental principles of maintaining international peace and security, as well as the fact that a referendum on the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea may be conducted only in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine.
The CNC noted that GUAM member states will continue to hold consultations on the situation in Ukraine and the possible consequences for peace and security in the region.
The CNC discussed issues of political cooperation within the GUAM format, inter alia the promotion of the draft UN resolution “Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development”. The CNC considered the possibility of holding meetings of the GUAM PA Committees and also recommended holding meetings in accordance with the decisions adopted during the joint meeting of the GUAM PA Committees (held December 2, 2013 in Tbilisi).
The CNC discussed a range of issues pertaining to GUAM sectoral cooperation, in particular, cooperation in terms of combatting international crime; continuing work regarding the use of the Virtual Center and the GUAM Interstate Information Analytic System, and preparing for its expansion; organising an integrated system for the cryptographic protection of information; and cooperation in the field of economy and trade, transport, and combatting terrorism and organised crime.
The CNC also discussed issues regarding GUAM’s cooperation with other states and international organisations, such as the USA, Japan, UNODC, OSCE, and the EU.
The venue and date of the next CNC meeting shall be agreed upon through diplomatic channels.
