The Twentieth Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States was held in Yerevan on 16 April 2009. The Meeting was chaired by Mr. Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, and attended by all the BSEC Member States, Observer States, representatives of international organisations and the BSEC Related Bodies.
The PABSEC was represented by Mr. Gagik Minasyan, Chairman of the PABSEC Economic, Commercial, Technological and Environmental Affairs Committee, Head of the Armenian PABSEC Delegation, and Mr. Alexander Furman, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General.
The Ministers and the Heads of the delegations of the BSEC Member States in their statements focused on two main themes – joining efforts to possibly mitigate the negative consequences of the global economic and financial crisis, and measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the BSEC. They noted positive results achieved during the six months of the Armenian Chairmanship-in-Office in such important areas as transport, energy, banking and finance, environmental protection, combating organised crime, tourism, culture, emergency assistance, and healthcare.
They also emphasized that the BSEC consolidation on the basis of its transformation into a project-oriented international organization requires more forceful and active commitment from each Member State, taking into account the political and economic developments in the region and beyond.
Addressing the Meeting, Mr. Gagik Minasyan informed the participants about the current and forthcoming activities of the Assembly stressing that the PABSEC attaches utmost importance to intensive interaction with the BSEC Organization. In this context, he welcomed the endorsement by the Nineteenth Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States, which was held in Tirana in October 2008, of the document on “Modalities for enhancing Coordination and Cooperation between BSEC and PABSEC”.
Noting the strengthening of relations between BSEC and the European Union, Mr. Minasyan informed the participants that the PABSEC decided during the 32nd General Assembly, held in Chisinau in November 2008, to establish a Permanent Delegation on PABSEC – European Parliament Cooperation, with the task to examine issues pertaining to relations between the PABSEC and the European Parliament and to maintain practical contacts between the two bodies.
The President of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, the Director General of the International Center for Black Sea Studies and a representative of the BSEC Business Council informed the participants on the activities carried out during the six months’ period and spoke about the future plans and activities.
PABSEC-BSEC interaction - The Council took note of the following PABSEC documents adopted by the 32nd Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly held in Chisinau on 3-5 November 2008:
- Recommendation 104/2008 on “World Trade Organization and the economic developmentof the BSEC Member States”;
- Recommendation 105/2008 on “Fifteen Years of Black Sea Economic Cooperation:
Political Aspects of Deepening of Economic Cooperation”;
- Recommendation 106/2008 on “The Impact of Globalization on the Social Policies of theBSEC Member States”.
The Project Development Fund – The Council welcomed the transfer of 30,000 Euros as the voluntary contribution of the Republic of Turkey to the BSEC Project Development Fund for the renewed period of three years and reaffirmed the enhanced role of the Fund, following its restructuring, in implementing the Organization’s project-oriented approach. The Council invited the remaining Member States to consider transferring their voluntary contributions. In addition, the Council emphasized that the Member States, which have not yet contributed to the Fund during the first period of operations (2003-2008), should consider doing so, irrespectively of the renewed period of voluntary contributions that commenced with the adoption of the new Manual of Operations.
The Council welcomed the transfer of an additional voluntary contribution of 20,000
Euros by Romania as Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding to the BSEC
Project Development Fund and invited the other Member States, BSEC Observers, Sectoral Dialogue Partners and other international donors to support cooperation in the Black Sea Region by considering transferring their voluntary contributions as ODA funds to PDF as deemed necessary for the launching and implementation of important projects in key areas.
The BSEC-Hellenic Development Fund - The Council welcomed the transfer of 500,000 Euros to the Hellenic Development Fund, as a voluntary contribution of the Hellenic Republic, and expressed its appreciation for the said contribution
The appointment of Country-Coordinators – The Council appointed Romania as the Country-Coordinator of the Working Groups on Combating Crime, in Particular in its Organised Forms, as of 1 May 2009 for a two-year period; and Ukraine as the Country-Coordinator of the Working Groups on Institutional Renewal and Good Governance as of 1 May 2009 for a two-year period.
Observer Status - the Council renewed the observer status of the Republic of Tunisia and of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution for another period of two years as of 1 May 2009.
Sectoral Dialogue Partnership Status – the Council granted the sectoral dialogue partnership status:
- to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for a renewable period of two years as of 1 May 2009;
- to the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the areas of trade, banking and finance, energy, transport, agriculture, healthcare, environmental protection and tourism, for a renewable period of two years as of 1 May 2009;
- to the Danube Commission, in the areas of transport, trade and environmental protection, for a renewable period of two years as of 1 May 2009.
BSEC-EU Interaction – The Council welcomed the initiatives of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Hellenic Republic and Romania within the EU to implement the Black Sea Synergy and welcomed the ongoing efforts of the BSEC Organization to find ways to enhance a project-oriented cooperation between the BSEC and the EU.
Ministerial, Working Group and other Meetings - The Council welcomed the results of the Meeting of the Ministers of Energy (Yerevan, 20 March 2009), and the Meeting of the Ministers of Transport (Yerevan, 27 March 2008). The Council also took note of the reports of workshops, conferences and Working Group meetings held during the Armenian Chairmanship-in-Office.
The 10th Anniversary of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank – The Council extended congratulations to the BSTDB on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the commencement of its operation in June 1999 stressing that the Bank’s activities have opened a new dimension in the regional cooperation and made a significant contribution to its development.
Appointments in the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat:
- The Council reappointed Ambassador Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos (Hellenic Republic) as Secretary General of the BSEC PERMIS for a three-year term as of 1 May 2009 until 30 April 2012;
- The Council appointed Ambassador Sumru Noyan (Republic of Turkey) as First Deputy Secretary General of the BSEC PERMIS for a three-year term as of 1 May 2009 until 30 April 2012;
- The Council appointed Ambassador Traian Chebeleu (Romania) as Deputy Secretary General of the BSEC PERMIS for a three-year term as of 1 May 2009 until 30 April 2012.
At the end of the Meeting, Mr. Edward Nalbandian handed over the BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office for the next six-month period to the Republic of Azerbaijan, represented at the Meeting by Mr. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was decided that the next regular Meeting of the Council will be held in Baku.
