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GUAM Council of Foreign Ministers approves 2007 budget

18 June 2007 14:00 (UTC +04:00)

Saying that GUAM entered new era Azerbaijan Minister briefed that talks on financing GUAM was held. Besides, the ministers came to an agreement on the draft documents on multimodal transportation, cultural and humanitarian fields, radiation and nuclear security. Elmar Mammadyarov said the main document of the summit will be Baku declaration. The meeting of GUAM Council of Ministers for foreign Affairs ratified plan of mutual cooperation of representations of GUAM countries within major international organizations. The Minister emphasized that issue on protracted conflicts is in the agenda of the UN general Assembly and GUAM states attach much importance to this issue. GUAM Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs ratified action of plans for 2007-2008, symbols of the organization and GUAM 2007 budget. GUAM budget for 2008 will be debated within UN General Assemblyâ€™s session.
Elmar Mammadyarov said traditional GUAM-US and first GUAM-Japan meetings were held very intensive. â€œJapan is much interested in the development of Europe-Asia corridor through GUAM. Tokyo attaches importance to cooperation in transport and energy as well as in protection on environment. The Japanese side proposed to organize workshop in Tokyo on energy saving technology for officials and researchers of GUAM in late 2007. Two researchers will represent Azerbaijan in that meetingâ€. The minister also said within summit consultations on GUAM-Poland cooperation will be held at the level of presidents. Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bejuashvili participating in the briefing said the discussion will cover viability of GUAM, economic and energy cooperation. Deputy Ukrainian foreign minister Aleksandr Veselovski said this year was GUAMâ€™s jubilee and in ten years the organization became sovereign organization. According to him, the turnover between GUAM member states reached to hit more than $ 2.5 billion.
Deputy Moldovan Foreign Minister Valeriu Ostalep speaking on the successes of GUAM said EU members are interested in cooperation with this organization. He considered that all citizens of GUAM member states should take part in the development of organization. Answering journalistsâ€™ question Elmar Mammadyarov said Japan offered concrete projects to GUAM. Touching upon issue of peacekeeping forces of GUAM Foreign Minister said experts should continue working on the issue. â€œExperts should continue their works. It is early to say that there is potential to participate in International Peacekeeping Forcesâ€.
Commenting on the issue Gela Bejuashvili said GUAM Peacekeeping forces will be able to operate both in military and police contingents. Answering question on GUAM enlargement Mammadyarov stated that any country receiving organizationâ€™s aims and intentions can join the organizations./APA/