Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 7
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
Countries of GUAM and the Visegrad Group are working to determine the spheres of cooperation, said Altay Efendiev, secretary general of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM.
He made the remarks Nov. 7 during a round table titled “GUAM-Visegrad Group: Possibilities of regional cooperation and limitations" in Baku.
Agreements have already been achieved to start work on the preparation of the meeting of experts of GUAM countries and the Visegrad Group to agree on the main directions and priority areas of cooperation, said Efendiev.
Directions, in which the GUAM countries can take experience of the Visegrad Group in reforms and diversification of the economy, cooperation within the European Union (EU), in the field of transportation and tourism, will be determined, noted the secretary general.
During the meeting of the GUAM Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (CMFA) in May 2015 in Bratislava, it was decided to switch from the traditional format of meetings to a more practical, applied cooperation.
Efendiev noted that the GUAM countries can cooperate in the spheres of transportation, tourism, energy and economy.
“We, as the Secretariat, have expressed our wishes for countries of the Visegrad Group on the importance of these areas,” he added.
He said that it will be possible to reach a new level of substantial political cooperation between GUAM and the Visegrad Group in 2017.
The main topic of the next meeting of GUAM countries’ prime ministers will be the discussion on creation of a transportation corridor. It is also planned to hold a business forum of GUAM countries.
The GUAM format was created by the post-Soviet states in 1997 during the summit of heads of states of the European Union in Strasbourg. In 1999, Uzbekistan joined the format and four years later withdrew. In 2006, Ukraine and Azerbaijan announced plans to further increase the GUAM member relations by renaming the organization GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development and establishing its headquarters in the Ukrainian capital.
Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship in GUAM since January 1, 2016.
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