Ukraine claims against GUAM

During the recent meeting between Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko and GUAM Secretary General Valeri Chechelashvili on July 21 the Ukrainian Minister stated that his country expects an increase of GUAM membership input for Ukraine and increase in advantages for his country. He also highlighted that Ukraine pays considerable attention to the development of the social and economic potential of GUAM member countries.

In April 2010 President Viktor Yanukovich of Ukraine touched on the issue of the possible withdrawal of Ukraine from the organisation, saying that it should pursue a pragmatic rather than a romantic policy. He stated that Ukraine would retain its GUAM membership only if it gained practical benefit from doing so. There is an opinion that Ukraine will not withdraw from GUAM officially but GUAM will exist as a paper exercise. If it does not interfere in Ukraine-Russian relations GUAM could be tolerated as a formality.

Ukrainian political analyst Andrey Karkhusha thinks that GUAM member countries have different reasons for wanting to be part of this organisation. Georgia and Azerbaijan have economic interests in being involved while Moldova and Ukraine are there just to tease Russia. However now Ukraine has a new President it is more interested in gaining economic benefit than pursuing an anti-Russian political line. Therefore the future of organisation is quite uncertain and vague.