YEREVAN, Armenia – The proposal to ‘revitalize’ the GUAM format (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) with the potential inclusion of Armenia is being described as a manipulative move with significant risks by prominent Russian political scientist Ivan Safranchuk. Safranchuk, a leading researcher at the Institute for International Studies of MGIMO, shared his views with Sputnik Armenia, emphasizing that such initiatives, while seemingly fostering regional integration, often serve external interests rather than genuinely benefiting the participating countries.
The GUAM Proposal and its Context
The discussion around the recreation of the GUAM format emerged during the 8th summit of the European Political Community, held in Yerevan on May 4th. The primary aim was to explore closer integration among ‘Eastern Partnership’ countries, explicitly excluding Russia. If Armenia were to join, the organization’s name would change to GUUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova). This idea has garnered support from Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Moldovan President Maia Sandu, both of whom attended the summit.
Regionalization: A Double-Edged Sword
Safranchuk acknowledges that regionalization is an objective process that can be beneficial by creating more ties within a region. However, he warns against its exploitation using the old ‘divide and conquer’ scheme.
