Participation of the PABSEC Delegation in the Third Meeting of the Speakers of the Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments, Antalya, 8 – 11 October 2018

At the invitation of Mr. Binali Yıldırım, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT) the PABSEC Delegation composed of Mr. Cemal Öztürk, Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation and Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, participated in the Third Meeting of the Speakers of the Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments which was hosted by the GNAT, in Antalya, on 8 – 11 October 2018.

During the opening ceremony of the Third Meeting of the Speakers of the Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments, which has gathered around 700 participants of 20 Speakers and parliamentary delegations from 38 European and Asian countries and representatives from several international organisations, addressing to the meeting and to the speakers, the Message of Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey was delivered and Mr. Binali Yıldırım, the GNAT Speaker presented a welcoming speech.

During the meeting, the participating Speakers of Parliaments and representatives delivered their speeches on the general debate item “Economic Cooperation, Environment and Sustainable Development in Eurasia”. In the framework of this event, aiming to  approach the current challenges addressing the sustainable development at global and regional levels and to strive the international cooperation in order to cope with these challenges, three sessions on the issues of “Economic Cooperation, Environment and Sustainable Development in Eurasia” were organized and at the end of the meeting and a Common Statement was adopted by an unanimous decision.

Addressing the participants on behalf of the PABSEC, Mr. Cemal Öztürk, Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, provided information on the composition of the PABSEC and its current activities and stressed the high importance of the Black Sea region for Eurasia and the entire world, in general. Mr. Öztürk and Mr. Hajiyev also had meetings and exchanged ideas with several representatives of parliaments and international organizations.

With the occasion of the gathering, Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, handed over the PABSEC Medal of Honour to Mr. Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, in recognition and appreciation for his constant and active involvement to the accomplishment of the PABSEC goals and objectives. Mr. Hajiyev informed that Mr. Gramoz Ruci, Speaker of the Parliament of Albania and the former PABSEC President, in June 2018, took the decision to award the PABSEC Medal of Honour to the Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

At the end of the Antalya Meeting, it was decided the Fourth Meeting of the Speakers of the Eurasian Countries’ Parliaments, to be hosted next year, by the Kazakhstan, in Astana.