The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM) was established in 1997 by four countries: Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. On July 20, 2002, the member states signed an agreement to establish a free trade zone, aimed at fostering economic and trade relations, as well as the free movement of services and goods among these countries. As part of the agreement, the parties committed to developing and implementing the Rules for determining the origin of goods to facilitate the free movement of goods and trade. Georgia prepared the Rules for determining the country of origin of goods and submitted them to the GUAM Secretariat for review. Since then, IMEM experts have actively participated in discussions regarding the draft Rules for determining the country of origin of goods within the framework of GUAM.

During these discussions, IMEM experts proposed significant additions and amendments that reflected the interests of Azerbaijani exporters, with most of these proposals being accepted by the member states. The draft document is currently under ongoing discussion within the GUAM Working Body.