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| area_sq_mi = 312,938
| area_label = Total
| population_estimate = {{decrease}} 57,975,000<ref name="IMFWEORU">{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October/weo-report?c=911,912,921,926,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,&sy=2020&ey=2022&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=subject&ds=.&br=1|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: October 2022|website=[[International Monetary Fund]]|access-date=7 December 2022|archive-date=7 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207145126/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October/weo-report?c=911,912,921,926,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,&sy=2020&ey=2022&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=subject&ds=.&br=1|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2020
| population_density_km2 = 71.5
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Conceived in 1997 to harmonize and integrate commercial, diplomatic and democratic relations among its member states, the GUAM treaty charter was signed in 2001 and today covers a population of over 57 million people. [[Uzbekistan]] was also a member of GUAM in the 1999–2005 period. In 2003, GUAM became an observer in the [[United Nations General Assembly|UN General Assembly]]. In 2007, GUAM also established a military [[peacekeeping]] force and organized joint military exercises. Such increasingly deepened integration and relationships led to GUAM playing an important role in the region's diplomatic and commercial affairs.
The agreement on a Free Trade Area was signed in 2002. In 2017, additional agreements on a [[free-trade area]] were announced, but the FTA has not been ratified and has not entered into force.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/guam-2-0-can-free-trade-revive-the-forgotten-regional-bloc/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619163458/https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/guam-2-0-can-free-trade-revive-the-forgotten-regional-bloc/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The official negotiating language of GUAM was Russian, but it was scrapped in favor of English in 2014.
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[[File:GUAM Summit 2006.jpg|left|thumb|200px|70-kopeck [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] postage stamp commemorating the GUAM Summit held in [[Kyiv]], 22–23 May 2006.]]
Cooperation between Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova started with the "GUAM consultative forum", established on 10 October 1997, in [[Strasbourg]] and named after the initial letters of each of those countries. In 1999, the organisation adopted the name '''GUUAM''' due to the membership of [[Uzbekistan]]. A summit in [[Yalta]] on 6 and 7 June 2001 was accompanied by the signing of GUUAM's charter, which formalized the organization. According to the former Ukrainian President [[Viktor Yushchenko]], the charter set objectives for cooperation, such as promoting democratic values, ensuring stable development, enhancing international and regional security, and stepping up [[European integration]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://today.az/news/politics/26446.html |title=
In 2002, Uzbekistan announced that it planned to withdraw from the organization and following this announcement started to ignore GUUAM summits and meetings.<ref>{{cite web|website=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]|date=18 June 2002|access-date=13 November 2020|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1100023.html
A summit of GUUAM took place in [[Chișinău]], Moldova, on 22 April 2005. The [[US Department of State]] special representative for [[Eurasia]]n conflicts, Steven Mann, and the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]] Secretary General, [[Ján Kubiš]], participated in the summit. The Russian ambassador in Chișinău criticized the fact that Russia was not invited to attend.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=1964793 |title=Itar-Tass article |work=[[Itar-Tass]] |access-date=18 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204942/http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=1964793 |archive-date=30 September 2007 }}</ref> [[Ilham Aliyev]], the president of Azerbaijan, said after the summit: "Our organization is emerging as a powerful force, participating in resolving problems in the [[Caspian Sea|Caspian]]—[[Black Sea]] region" while the president of Ukraine, [[Viktor Yushchenko]], said that a new page had been written in the history of the organization.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=9677 |title=
===Deepening of relations and integration (2006–2013)===
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In April 2006, three GUAM nations supported Ukraine's proposal to condemn the [[Holodomor]], the 1930s famine in Ukraine which killed millions of people, as a [[genocide]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2371016 |title= CIS Split at Ministerial Conference |date=25 April 2006 |work=Eurasia Daily Monitor |access-date=18 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417002350/http://www.jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2371016 <!--Bot retrieved archive--> |archive-date=17 April 2007}}</ref>
In May 2006, Ukraine and Azerbaijan announced plans to further increase the GUAM member relations by renaming the organization ''GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development'' and establishing its headquarters in the Ukrainian capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azi.md/news?ID=39318 |title=Foreign Ministers of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova Discussed the Upcoming Guam Summit |date=19 May 2006 |work=InfoMarket |publisher=Moldova Azi |access-date=18 April 2007 |archive-date=3 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080203110821/http://www.azi.md/news?ID=39318 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The other members said this was a remarkable step and development. The summit participants were also expected to adopt GUAM by—laws, a declaration and a communique. Also in May 2006 the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced plans to establish GUAM [[peacekeeping]] forces.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://today.az/news/politics/26721.html |title=
In June 2007, presidents of Lithuania, Poland and Romania joined the leaders of GUAM member states at the GUAM summit in [[Baku]], Azerbaijan. Also participating at the summit were the Vice-President of [[Bulgaria]], the Vice-Speaker of the Estonian parliament, the Minister of Economy of Latvia, and the high—level representatives of the United States, Japan, the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] (OSCE), the [[Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation]] (BSEC), [[UNESCO]], and heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.azembassy.com/new/news.php?id=445 |title=Embassy of Azerbaijan in the U.S.: Baku hosts GUAM Second Summit |access-date=24 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192815/http://www.azembassy.com/new/news.php?id=445 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===After Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea (2014–present)===
In December 2014, then-Ukrainian Foreign Minister [[Pavlo Klimkin]] proposed that GUAM should use English during meetings, instead of Russian, which was also the main language used in official gatherings in the [[Soviet Union]]. GUAM representatives agreed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/26727422.html|title=Ex-Soviet GUAM Switches To English|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|access-date=7 April 2018|archive-date=13 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113104508/http://www.rferl.org/a/26727422.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/article/26727422.html |title=
In March 2017, GUAM officially established agreements on a [[free-trade area]] and harmonization of customs procedures among its member states.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/249849049|website=[[Government of Ukraine]]|access-date=13 November 2020|date=27 March 2017|title=In the framework of the GUAM summit governments of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova signed protocols on the establishment of the FTA and mutual recognition of results of customs control procedures|archive-date=13 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113180237/https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/249849049|url-status=live}}</ref>{{update inline|date=September 2021}}
In May 2021, three of the four members, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, joined the [[Association Trio]] in order to jointly facilitate further European integration.<!--Is there now a GUAM free trade area? If so, update [[List of multilateral free-trade agreements]]. -->
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== Free Trade Area negotiations ==
An Agreement on Establishment of Free Trade Area between the GUUAM Participating States was signed on July 20, 2002. <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://guam-organization.org/en/protocol-on-rules-for-determining-the-country-of-origin-of-goods-to-the-agreement-on-establishment-of-free-trade-area-between-the-guuam-participating-states/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619163502/https://guam-organization.org/en/protocol-on-rules-for-determining-the-country-of-origin-of-goods-to-the-agreement-on-establishment-of-free-trade-area-between-the-guuam-participating-states/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2017 Ukraine announced agreements on a [[free-trade area]] and harmonization of customs procedures among its member states.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/249849049|website=[[Government of Ukraine]]|access-date=13 November 2020|date=27 March 2017|title=In the framework of the GUAM summit governments of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova signed protocols on the establishment of the FTA and mutual recognition of results of customs control procedures|archive-date=13 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113180237/https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/249849049|url-status=live}}</ref>
At the 77th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly held in New York on September 20, 2022, the Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) members came together on the sidelines and held the 39th Cabinet meeting of GUAM. After the meeting, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova signed a protocol on the determination of the country of origin of the goods. In addition, it was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine that a free trade zone was established between the GUAM countries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ankasam.org/free-zone-developed-in-the-shadow-of-the-russia-ukraine-war-economies-of-guam/?lang=en |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619165001/https://www.ankasam.org/free-zone-developed-in-the-shadow-of-the-russia-ukraine-war-economies-of-guam/?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://guam-organization.org/en/protocol-on-rules-for-determining-the-country-of-origin-of-goods-to-the-agreement-on-establishment-of-free-trade-area-between-the-guuam-participating-states/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619163502/https://guam-organization.org/en/protocol-on-rules-for-determining-the-country-of-origin-of-goods-to-the-agreement-on-establishment-of-free-trade-area-between-the-guuam-participating-states/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Free Trade Area has not been ratified and has not entered into force. It is too soon to be sure whether GUAM member states will ratify the free trade area soon or if the project will be placed on hiatus. There is also the question about to what extent an FTA could help financially GUAM countries compared to other projects, such as European Union membership or the Middle Corridor. GUAM is a regional bloc that has not demonstrated its usefulness to its member states compared to other organizations or projects that GUAM member states are part of.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/guam-2-0-can-free-trade-revive-the-forgotten-regional-bloc/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=19 June 2023 |archive-date=19 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619163458/https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/guam-2-0-can-free-trade-revive-the-forgotten-regional-bloc/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Members ==
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