President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko on Wednesday, 10 October, proclaimed at a meeting in Vilnius to mark GUAM`s 10th anniversary and added that energy issues have be at the top of the organization's agenda.

  Victor Yushchenko said it was very important to develop GUAM's transit potential and to open alternative routes leading to Central Europe. He greeted a multilateral energy collaboration agreement which should be signed by Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Poland and Georgia today and will regulate and facilitate the introducing of the Odesa-Brody-Plock-Gdansk pipeline project. "This is a unique page in the implementation of such a global project," said the President.

  Yuschenko admitted that Ukraine was "interested in filling the energy potential of the Caspian, Black Sea and Baltic regions" and was absolutely ready to export electricity to Europe, as well the Baltic states. "We fully support plans to build an energy bridge between Asia and Europe," he reported and said that Ukraine was ready to take part in such projects.

  Yushchenko said "security measures were more than important" for GUAM. "Ukraine today reaffirms its commitment to introducing this direction of our common activity," he said, stressing the need to resolve GUAM's past conflicts and praising the progress that has been achieved in settling the Trans-Dniester conflict.

  He showed GUAM as a project enabling its members to have effective and productive national and bilateral collaboration and said GUAM was also developing connections with European Union, the United Nations Organization and the United States of America.

  President proclaimed that GUAM has to implement regional projects, like extending the Odesa-Brody pipeline westwards to Poland's Gdansk, building rail ways in Georgia and opening a link between Ukraine and Georgia. "We are absolutely ready to this action plan," he said.