CHISINAU, Moldova, May 6 (UPI) -- The GUUAM group will still enjoy U.S. and European support after Uzbekistan pulls out, a Moldovan official told Interfax news agency Friday.
Uzbekistan has pulled out of the group of five former Soviet republics as two other members, Georgia and Ukraine, seek to pull away from Russia and eventually hope to join NATO and the European Union. The other members of the group remaining with Georgia and Ukraine are Azerbaijan and Moldova.
"One could have guessed that Tashkent would soon pull out of GUUAM looking at Uzbekistan's conduct ahead of (the GUUAM) organization's summit in Chisinau. Unfortunately, (Uzbek) President Islam Karimov rejected our invitation, finding his participation in the summit unnecessary," a high-ranking source close to Moldovan Prime Minister Vasil Tarlev told Interfax.
The source said Uzbekistan's refusal to take part in the summit might have been prompted by the country's "geographic location" in Central Asia which does not allow Uzbekistan to see how GUUAM's new economic and security
initiatives and projects can meet its interests. Uzbekistan is the only one of the five GUUAM nations to be in Central Asia.
