KIEV, May 22 (RIA Novosti) - GUAM, a regional organization founded in 1997 by four former
Soviet republics, will soon acquire a new status and title, the Ukrainian foreign minister said Monday.
The alliance, which comprises Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova, is widely seen as an attempt to counterbalance Russian influence in the region.
"Today we have reached a higher form of cooperation, GUAM's transformation into a full-fledged international organization," Borys Tarasyuk said after a session of the GUAM foreign ministers' council.
He said the council would recommend that GUAM leaders change the organization's status and rename it the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development during a summit slated for May 23.
"We have common approaches to EU and NATO enlargement, democratization of society, European integration, economic development, stability and security in the region," Tarasyuk said, adding that the organization would help its members join European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
Tarasyuk said the GUAM leaders would sign new regulations and declarations on conflict resolution.
Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashbili said the leaders would also focus on the fight against separatism.
