Dmytro Kuleba: Ukraine's victory is crucial for restoring security in the GUAM region

On December 12, the 41st meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development - GUAM was held in Brussels under the chairmanship of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba.

The event gathered together the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, of Georgia, Ilia Darchiashvili, and of the Republic of Moldova, Nicu Popescu, as well as the GUAM Secretary General, Altai Efendiev.

During the meeting, Dmytro Kuleba told his colleagues about the current situation on the frontline of the russian-Ukrainian war. He also described the impact of russian aggression on the region.

"russia's aggression against Ukraine undermines the security situation in the GUAM region. Ukraine's victory is crucial for restoring security and stability in our countries and developing interregional infrastructure and trade projects," said Dmytro Kuleba.

The Foreign Minister of Ukraine informed the ministers about the promotion of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula as the only possible roadmap for restoring a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister emphasised the need to strengthen coordination of positions and mutual support of the GUAM member states within international organisations, including the UN.

The Ukrainian Minister presented the main outcomes of Ukraine's chairmanship of GUAM in 2023 and wished his Azerbaijani counterpart success in carrying out this important mission next year.

"We remain ready to actively cooperate with the Azerbaijani side on all issues on the GUAM agenda to restore stability and prosperity in the region," said Dmytro Kuleba.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs discussed in detail the implementation of the GUAM Transport Corridor project, in particular with the participation of the EU. They stressed the importance of GUAM's cooperation with Central Asian countries and China. They also paid special attention to steps to increase trade and implement projects in the field of digitalisation of public services.

The participants of the meeting also made a number of organisational decisions to ensure GUAM's activities in 2024.