On May 28 Yalta hosted a second session of the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly. Even though the organization has lost one member, Uzbekistan, which is reflected in the name change from GUUAM to GUAM, the participants showed no signs of pessimism concerning the future of this regional association. On the contrary, the presence of international observers is proof of the tremendous interest it now commands. Parliamentary Speaker Lytvyn even suggested that Russia might join the organization, a rather unexpected idea given the suspicions voiced by Russian experts, who view GUAM as one of the anti-Russian associations in the post-Soviet space.
Yalta’s famous Livadia Palace received delegations from GUAM member states, headed by parliamentary speakers Volodymyr Lytvyn of Ukraine, Nino Burdzhanadze of Georgia, Murtuz Aleskerov of Azerbaijan, and Marian Lupu of Moldova. The meeting was also attended by representatives from Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, and Estonia. Russia was represented by its ambassador to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin.
“The main idea of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Yalta session is that GUAM is evolving into a viable and dynamic organization despite all the predictions of its imminent demise,” People’s Deputy Ihor Ostash said in an interview with The Day, adding: “GUAM will now have greater political weight than before. Its biggest critics viewed GUAM as merely an alternative to the CIS. But its significance is much greater, and GUAM is becoming a mechanism for cooperation in the Baltic- Black Sea region. The assembly participants also discussed energy projects that are especially relevant against the backdrop of the energy crisis in Ukraine. I’m certain that if GUAM worked at the level of committees and governments, we would be able to avert such crises. GUAM has sparked much interest among the Baltic and Scandinavian nations.”
In an interview with The Day, MP Anatoliy Rakhansky, Ukraine’s permanent representative at PACE and member of the Ukrainian delegation in Yalta, underscored the important role GUAM is playing in the resolution of energy problems. He recalled the recent inauguration of the first stage of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which will take some of the load off the Baku-Novorossiysk oil route. He also said that GUAM should be used to fill the Odesa-Brody pipeline with Caspian oil.
Cooperation on this matter has been progressing at an energetic pace between Ukraine and Azerbaijan. The two countries have agreed to form task forces to draft documents on a set of related issues and prepare them for signing during Viktor Yushchenko’s visit to Azerbaijan, slated for next month. Ukraine and Azerbaijan have already agreed to coordinate shipments of light petroleum products. In 2005 Azerbaijan plans to supply Ukraine with 100,000 tons of petroleum products (50,000 tons of diesel fuel and 50,000 tons of gasoline). An agreement to this effect was reached at a meeting between Azeri Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Borys Tarasiuk.
A surge in GUAM’s activity has brought the issue of expanding the organization to the fore. Ukraine’s Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn believes that in the future GUAM might welcome such countries as Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Armenia, and other countries located in the Black Sea-Caspian region. He voiced this opinion at a news conference after the second session of the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly. Asked whether Russia might become a GUAM member, Lytvyn replied that every country must aspire to be party to some international formations and structures. As he put it, this is necessary for countries to advance their national interests while “taking into account the opinions of other countries. This is a modern-day requirement stemming from globalization processes: if you are not present, others will decide for you.” Lytvyn said that the above-mentioned countries may join “this promising project in the future.” The head of Ukraine’s parliament also emphasized the need to develop a legislative field common to all GUAM members.
In his address to the participants of the second GUAM Parliamentary Assembly session, President Yushchenko underscored the assembly’s important role in strengthening democracy, stability, and economic growth in the Black Sea-Caspian region. The address reads in part: “The success of GUAM in the international arena will largely depend on the cooperation of our countries’ legislatures. I am certain that a more active dialogue among GUAM members at the parliamentary level will promote the strengthening of democracy, stability, and economic growth in our region.”
