MOLDOVA: GUUAM SUMMIT BRINGING TOGETHER GEORGIA UKRAINE UZBEKISTAN, AZERBAIJAN AND MOLDOVA OPENS IN CHISINAU

Record ID: 643512

  • Title: MOLDOVA: GUUAM SUMMIT BRINGING TOGETHER GEORGIA UKRAINE UZBEKISTAN, AZERBAIJAN AND MOLDOVA OPENS IN CHISINAU
  • Date: 23rd April 2005
  • Summary: (EU) CHISINAU, MOLDOVA (APRIL 22, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV DOWNTOWN CHISINAU, CAPITAL OF MOLDOVA 0.05 2. WIDE OF VENUE FOR GUAAM SUMMIT; FLAG WITH GUUAM LOGO; LEADERS ARRIVING AT SUMMIT VENUE 3. MEETINGS; WIDE OF MEETING 0.50 4. SOUNDBITE (Romanian) ROMANIAN PRESIDENT TRAIAN BASESCU SAYING "It is completely wrong to have dealings of any sort with Smirnov's illegal regime without reference to Moldova's constitution and European principles." 1.12 5. WIDE OF MEDIA WITH BASESCU 1.16 6. MV UKRAINE PRESIDENT VIKTOR YUSHCHENKO SIGNING ONE OF THE DECLARATIONS AT END OF MEETING; MV MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR VORONIN, SIGNING ONE OF THE DECLARATIONS; WIDE OF THE HALL 1.33 7. SOUNDBITE (Georgian) MIKHAIL SAAKASHVILI, GEORGIAN PRESIDENT, SAYING IN RUSSIAN: "We are dealing with a new wave of revolutions, of political transformations which repeat many events of the velvet revolutions of the end of the 1980s, the Prague spring, the fall of the Berlin wall, but this wave now extends to the remaining parts of Europe that were unable to take part in the first wave." 2.12 9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) VICTOR YUSHCHENKO SAYING: "Today we have witnessed the turning of a new page in the history of GUUAM. I believe it is very important that the outcome confirmed a coincidence of views among all participants on the prospects for GUUAM's future development." 2.38 10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) VICTOR YUSHCHENKO SAYING: "Today we have witnessed the turning of a new page in the history of GUUAM. I believe it is very important that the outcome confirmed a coincidence of views among all participants on the prospects for GUUAM's future development." 2.38 11. WIDE OF GUUAM LEADERS IN FAMILY PHOTO; LEADERS LEAVING 3.10 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 8th May 2005 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CHISINAU, MOLDOVA
  • Country: Moldova
  • Reuters ID: LVA1C85NLXBYDY8JT7XVQQR88N0D
  • Story Text: GUUAM summit, bringing together Georgia, Ukraine,
    Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova opens in Chisinau.

    Four ex-Soviet states newly committed to integration
    with the West agreed on Friday (April 22, 2005) to form an
    alliance as they ease their way out of Russia's orbit.

    The leaders of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan
    agreed to form a "union of democratic states", but a senior
    Russian politician denounced the grouping as an attempt to
    spread the "Orange Revolution" that brought Ukraine's
    pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko to power.

    The initiative was spearheaded by the leaders of
    Ukraine and Georgia, who have wary relations with big
    neighbour Russia and both were brought to power by peaceful
    revolutions against electoral fraud in the last two years.

    Moscow also clashed with Washington this week after
    U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Belarus was
    central Europe's "last true dictatorship" and ripe for a
    change.

    The meeting to breathe new life into the moribund GUUAM
    organisation took place in the capital of ex-Soviet
    Moldova, whose ties with Moscow have cooled in recent
    months.

    GUUAM, standing for Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan,
    Azerbaijan, Moldova, was originally set up to boost
    economic and transport links but was long overshadowed by
    the Russian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States
    (CIS).

    Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko hailed the
    gathering on Friday as a new and an historic opportunity.

    "Today we have witnessed the turning of a new page in
    the history of GUUAM. I believe it is very important that
    the outcome confirmed a coincidence of views among all
    participants on the prospects for GUUAM's future
    development," said Yushchenko.

    Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili praised the
    "historic meeting" as a chance to work towards the common
    aim of integrating with the West.

    Ukraine and Georgia want to join NATO and, along with
    Moldova's Communist President Vladimir Voronin, also aspire
    to membership of the European Union.

    Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Romanian
    President Traian Basescu joined Friday's gathering.

    Romania is a NATO member while Lithuania is a member of
    both NATO and the European Union. They are seen as role
    models by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

    The rejuvenated group turned most of its attention to
    solving "frozen" separatist conflicts dogging their
    countries and which some blame Moscow for prolonging.

    "It is completely wrong to have dealings of any sort
    with Smirnov's illegal regime without reference to
    Moldova's constitution and European principles", Romanian
    Prime Minister Traian Basescu said, referring to the
    separatist Trans Dniestr region of Moldova, where Russian
    speaking separatists are seeking independence.

    Some leaders also backed U.S. calls for change in
    Belarus, where Western countries accuse President Alexander
    Lukashenko of cracking down on opponents and stifling
    independent media.

    "We are dealing with a new wave of revolutions, of
    political transformations which repeats many events of the
    velvet revolutions of the end of the 1980s -- the Prague
    spring, the fall of the Berlin wall, but this wave now
    extends to the remaining parts of Europe that were unable
    to take part in the first wave", Saakashvili said.


    ENDS

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