Kyiv, May 22-23, 2006
On May 22-23, 2006 in Kyiv, Ukraine, the GUAM Member-States and the United
States met at the Eleventh Meeting of the Council of Ministers for Foreign
Affairs of GUAM and the GUAM Summit to continue their dialogue and cooperation.
The U.S. delegation was led by David J. Kramer, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for European and Eurasian Affairs.
The United States supported the creation of the “Organization for Democracy
and Economic Development – GUAM” with Secretariat in Kyiv and pledged to provide
appropriate assistance. GUAM Members-States reiterated their commitment to
cooperate on strengthening democracy, increasing security, and deepening political,
economic, scientific, and cultural cooperation in the GUAM region. The United
States congratulated Ukraine on its assumption to the GUAM chairmanship and
reiterated its support for GUAM projects and for the Organization’s goal of
regional cooperation and development.
The Participants addressed the current state and prospects of the GUAM-U.S.
dialogue, and noted with appreciation progress achieved in advancing the GUAM-U.S.
Framework Program, which is the product of a four-year cooperative effort
to generate concrete, multilateral projects to facilitate regional security
and economic development. Since September 2005, the GUAM countries have completed
their country-based inter-agency offices for the Virtual Center and Interstate
Information Management System and continued the development of the regional
task force structure intended for conducting law enforcement cooperation.
The GUAM Member States have also created a Secretariat of the Steering Committee
on Trade and Transportation Facilitation and intensified their cooperation
for this project.
The GUAM Ministers expressed their gratitude to the Government of the United
States for providing technical and advisory assistance to the organization.
The Euro-Atlantic Advisory Team, established after 2005 Chisinau Summit of
GUAM and sponsored by the United States, has proved to be efficient and instrumental
in assisting implementation of the GUAM-U.S. Framework Program.
The Participants reaffirmed their willingness to develop consolidated efforts
with a view to strengthening cooperation in fighting international terrorism,
preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related technologies,
combating organized crime, and confronting other global challenges. The joint
exploration of ways to confront these common challenges to the GUAM Member-States
and the United States constitutes an important aspect of GUAM-U.S. cooperation.
The United States commended GUAM for promoting inter-parliamentary cooperation
that is considered to become an effective instrument of parliamentary diplomacy
at the regional and European levels. The GUAM States reiterated their interest
in further deepening cooperation with the European Union, other organizations
and states in fields of mutual interest, including diversification of energy
supplies with particular focus on the Caspian region, providing security for
energy infrastructure, and realization of the projects of the GUAM-U.S. Framework
Program.
The United States reaffirmed its support for the territorial integrity of
GUAM States, within their internationally recognized borders.
GUAM Member-States reaffirmed their willingness to proceed further with the
dialogue within the format of the GUAM-European Union and GUAM-European Union-United
States context.
The Participants agreed to continue mutually beneficial cooperation, and also
to explore new areas of interaction.
They agreed to conduct their next meeting in New York during general debates
of the UN General Assembly session of 2006.