Uzbekistan announced its withdrawal from GUAM, a regional organization, which also groups Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, said reports from the Moldovan capital of Chisinau Thursday.

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin, who currently holds GUAM's rotating chairmanship, received a letter on Thursday from his Uzbek counterpart Islam Karimov, who announced his country's decision to withdraw from the group, according to a press bulletin released by the Moldovan Presidential Office.

Uzbekistan was withdrawing as it cannot meet the organization's economic and security objectives due to its geographical position, Karimov explained in the letter.

However, Uzbekistan will continue to develop its relations with GUAM's members and promote their cooperation in regional and international organizations, he added.

The Uzbek president was absent from the GUAM summit in Chisinau last month. Observers speculated the central Asian country may walk out of the regional organization due to political differences.

At their summit, leaders from the other four GUAM states vowed they will strengthen cooperation in the political and military fields.

Meanwhile, some Uzbek officials complained that GUAM has become a political organization, according to local media.

GUAM, a regional organization for economic cooperation, was setup in 1997 by Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova. Uzbekistan joined the group in 1999.

Source: Xinhua