Exhibition on landscapes of GUAM member states inaugurated in Strasbourg

Chisinau, 4 October /MOLDPRES/ - An exhibition of photos today was inaugurated at an initiative Moldova’s Resident Representation at the Council of Europe, in the context of Moldova’s chairmanship at the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova).    

According to the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Ministry’s (MAEIE) public diplomacy, strategic communication and media interaction service, the exhibition titled, Landscapes of GUAM Member States, contains works by famous photographers from Moldova, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Georgia, who present to public nice places from these countries, events specific to the culture and national traditions. Thus, visitors can enjoy themselves with novel pictures caught by artistic eyes of photographers from Moldova – Mihai Potarniche, Anatol Poiata and Serghei Bobr.      

The exhibition was inaugurated at the headquarters of the Palace of Europe and marked the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the Consultative Forum of the GUAM member states at the second Council of Europe’s (CoE) Summit (10 October 1997).   

At the opening of the event, Moldova’s Resident Representative Corina Calugaru referred to the importance of cooperation within GUAM. “Moldova and the other GUAM member states fully support the principles of territorial integrity of the member states and the need to strengthen the democratic values, rule of law state,  observe the human rights and sustainable development. These desiderata can be fulfilled out only in the context of ensuring the regional security and stability and through the creation of a common space, meant to deepen the European integration and the economic and humanitarian cooperation within GUAM. The concerned exhibition brings in the focus the culture of our states, dignity of nations, continuous will to contribute to the diversity and unity of the Council of Europe, as well as the Council’s importance for the transformations from our country,” the ambassador said.    

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said that the premises for the foundation of GUAM had been established at the second CoE Summit from 1997. Jagland also appreciated the sharing by the GUAM member states of the Council of Europe’s values, such as democracy, human rights, rule of law state and at the regional level.  

Additionally to the landscapes of GUAM countries, those present had possibility to take knowledge also of traditional dishes of the member states and enjoy Moldovan wines.  

The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (ODED -GUAM) was founded by the signing of the organization’s Statute (Charter) at the first Summit of the GUAM Heads of State in Kiev on 23 May 2006; before this, there had been a Consultative Forum created by the presidents of the states, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, in Strasbourg in 1997. The main bodies of the Organization are: annual meeting (Summit) of the Heads of State (supreme body); Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers (executive body); Committee of National Coordinators (working body); Information Office, the Secretariat was set up in 2007 (information body).