SUAM Free Trade Zone

SUAM is a regional union of four countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova). In 1997, at the joint meeting of the presidents of the SUAM countries, the issues of regional cooperation, European and regional security, political and economic relations were discussed. The heads of state attached special importance to the creation of the Eurasian-Transcaucasia corridor, which is the basis of friendship, good neighborly relations and the use of economic benefits between the countries.

In 2000, in New York, at the 55th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the presidents of the SUAM member states adopted the New York Memorandum. The main goal of cooperation was to facilitate the introduction of internal contacts and means of direct communication between the relevant bodies of the member countries of the SUAM. The efficient operation of the Europe-Caucasus-Asia transport corridor and the development of its infrastructure were considered as the main priority.

Over the years, a number of official meetings have been held in Kyiv, Yalta, Chisinau, Baku, Tbilisi and Batumi, on the safe functioning of the SUAM transport corridor, the creation of a free trade zone on the territory of the SUAM member states, the control of customs and border protection, terrorism, organized crime and the spread of drugs. about fighting against

On September 20, 2022, within the framework of the 39th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SUAM, the protocol on the establishment of the SUAM free trade zone was signed, the agreement on the rules for determining the country of origin of goods and the convention on mutual assistance in consular matters between the SUAM member states were signed. . The protocol envisages free trade between SUAM member countries based on the cumulative principle. In particular, it allows the member countries of SUAM to use each other's raw materials, as a result of which the product will be given the status of origin in the country where it received its final form. At the ministerial, the parties emphasized the importance of coordinated interaction between the SUAM member countries within the framework of international organizations. The existing formats of cooperation with partner countries and the perspectives of their expansion were mentioned. Georgia already had bilateral agreements on free trade with all three countries, but the agreement creates a regional grouping whose range of interests is very wide.

TRACECA.GE