Contacts between GUAM and EU should be strengthened, says Ukraine's Foreign Minister

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko has stated that contacts between the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) and the European Union should be strengthened.

The minister said this at a meeting of the GUAM Foreign Ministers' Council in Dublin on December 7, according to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service.

During the discussion, Hryschenko praised the GUAM member states' cooperation in various spheres, including transport, energy, tourism, and the fight against organized crime.

According to the press service, the participants of the meeting paid special attention to the development of special projects within the organization.

"Hryschenko supported the idea of the further development of contacts between GUAM and the European Union for the organization's full participation in the implementation of projects and programs with the EU within regional initiatives," reads the statement.

The participants of the meeting also summed up the results of Azerbaijan's presidency of GUAM in 2012, and decided that Georgia should be the next country to chair the organization.

The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) was set up in 1997 by Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. Uzbekistan was a member of the organization from 1999 until 2005.