Voronin: Moldova to stay in GUAM

Moldova is not entertaining the idea of leaving the Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova (GUAM) regional organization Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin said on July 8.

“Just the opposite, we want GUAM to operate more efficiently to solve social ans economic issues within its framework and continue our work in that direction,” the newspaper Kommersant quoted Voronin as saying.

The Moldovan president also said that the organization “doesn’t have a reliable economic component,” and criticized its decision to form a peacekeeping capacity.

Voronin did not attend the recent GUAM summit in Batumi, sending the Moldovan Interior Minister instead. He has repeatedly expressed doubt over the direction the organization is heading, prompting speculation that Moldova may soon withdraw its membership.