Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 10 /Trend News, E.Tariverdiyeva/
The GUAM Organization (a regional organization, established in October 1997 by Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) has problems similar to the problems of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), believes Alexey Vlasov, Director General of the Information and Analytical Center at the Moscow State University on the post-Soviet countries studies.
"GUAM is suffering from the same illnesses as the CIS, and each of the participating countries seeks to implement their plans, which do not always coincide," Vlasov said to Trend News by a telephone from Moscow.
Vlasov said GUAM was the first alternative regional unit on the post-Soviet space, when the organization was not founded under the "umbrella" of Russia. Further, GUAM has performed the tasks of building a new organization model of the post-Soviet area, Vlasov said.
GUAM, the expert believes, is a copy of the CIS in the sense that the members of this organization cannot find a common denominator, under which the organization would develop more rapidly and intensively and friendship against someone - it's a temporary basis.
Vlasov said if Ukraine is primarily a political context of GUAM, Azerbaijan - it is economical and energy projects.
Azerbaijan pursues equal policy toward the organization, the expert said.
"Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev avoids loud and uncorroborated real political facts of statements concerning the future of GUAM," said Vlasov.
Moldova under President Voronin had actually walked in the direction of limiting relations with this organization and it is not clear whether the country's police will change under new leadership.
Four post-Soviet republics; Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, established the GUAM format in 1997 during a summit of presidents of European Union countries in Strasburg. In 1999, Uzbekistan joined this format, but after 4 years, quitted. In 2006, the first summit of this format in Kiev decided to declare GUAM an international organization with a new name: "Organization for Democracy and Economic Development - GUAM".
