We, the Presidents of Ukraine and Georgia, express our strong belief that the strengthening of democracy and civil society is one of the main tasks of and prerequisites for the economic development of our countries and our region, which set in Europe, unites the three seas -- Baltic, Black and Caspian -- and is gifted with an enormous potential. Democracy and stability in this region is also the condition for a lasting stability and security for all Europe.
We express our firm conviction that our region, if based and developed on the right principles of democracy, freedom and prosperity, represents today in Europe one of the major areas of opportunity, with a unique potential of human resources, transit lines, energy resources and communications between Europe, Central Asia and the Far East.
We pledge to conduct policies in our respective countries, Ukraine and Georgia, based on those principles, as members of the European family, sharing European values and history.
As members of the Community of Democracies sharing the universal goals of the global forum that unites democracies worldwide, we adhere to the principles of this Community in line with the implementation of the Seoul Plan of Action, which envisages regional cooperation for the promotion and protection of democracy. In this regard, we are considering the creation of a community of democracies in our part of Europe: the Community of Democratic Choice. Our objective is to make this new community a strong tool to free our region from all remaining dividing lines, from violations of human rights, from any spirit of confrontation, from frozen conflicts and thus to open a new era of democracy, security, stability and lasting peace for the whole of Europe, from the Atlantic to the Caspian Sea.
We have thus decided to invite all the Leaders of the Baltic-Black-Caspian Sea region, who share our vision of a new Europe, our faith in the future and potential of this area and our democratic goals, to join us in the Community of Democratic Choice. We invite those devoted to ideas of democracy to our Summit in Ukraine and to unite our efforts to turn the Baltic-Black-Caspian Sea region into a sea of democracy, stability and security, to make it a fully integrated region of Europe and of the Democratic and Atlantic community.
Stating our intention to hold the Summit in autumn 2005, we are hereby calling on all the Leaders of the region, who share our goals, to join us in this celebration of Democratic Choice. We also invite the European Union and Russia to attend this Summit as observers in order to examine the ways in which this democratic region, as a close neighbor, can benefit the security and stability on the entire continent. We invite the United States as an observer and as a representative of the Community of Democracies.
In Ukraine, we offer to put a final end to the history of division in Europe, of restricted freedoms and domination by force and by fear, and mark a new beginning of neighborly relations based on mutual respect, confidence, transparency and equality.
President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko
President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili
Communications Office
of the President of Georgia