Participation of the PABSEC International Secretariat in the Meeting of the BSEC Committee of Senior Officials, Istanbul, 19 April 2024

Mr. Daniel DULCA, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General, attended the Meeting of the BSEC Committee of Senior Officials, which was held in Istanbul, at the BSEC Headquarters, on 19 April 2024.

The Meeting was chaired by Ms. Antonela DHIMOLEA, Minister Counsellor, Head of the Regional Initiative Unit of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania, representative of the Albanian BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office.

The Meeting was attended by the representatives of the following BSEC Member States: Republic of Albania, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bulgaria, Georgia, Hellenic Republic, Republic of Moldova, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Russian Federation, Republic of Serbia, Republic of Türkiye, Ukraine, by the BSEC Related Bodies: the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB), the International Centre for the Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) and also by the BSEC Observers: the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Black Sea Commission.

The Committee took note of the information on the current and future activities of the BSEC Secretariat, within the framework of the BSEC-EU interaction, considered the Progress Report prepared for the period of the Turkish BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office (1 July 2023 - 31 December 2023) and submitted it to the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States.

In his intervention, Mr. Daniel DULCA, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General informed the participants about the meetings which took place, starting with the beginning of 2024, namely: the First Meeting of the Presidents of the Academies of Sciences of the BSEC Member States, with the participation of Rectors of Leading Turkish Universities, Istanbul, 14 February 2024; the Meeting of the Draft Budget and Auditing Commission, Istanbul, 22 February 2024; the Meetings of the Working Group on the PABSEC Rules of Procedure, of the PABSEC Legal and Political Affairs Committee and of the Special Meeting of the PABSEC Standing Committee, held in Istanbul, on 23 February 2024.

He also informed about the 62nd Meeting of the PABSEC Committee on Social and Humanitarian Policy, held in Skopje (Republic of North Macedonia), on 5 March 2024, upon the invitation of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, which discussed the draft Report and Recommendation 198/2024 “Investing in Human Capital for Innovation and Prosperity in the BSEC Region” and about the next meetings of the committees namely, the 63rd Meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation, which will take place in Tbilisi (Georgia), on 20-21 April 2024 and the 62nd Meeting of the Committee on Economic and Development Policy, which will take place Zonguldak (Republic of Türkiye), on 27-28 April 2024.

He concluded his remarks by informing that the Sixty-Third PABSEC General Assembly will take place in Tirana, on 13-15 May 2024. The General Debate of the Plenary Session will be dedicated to the topic: “Strengthening Regional Economic Cooperation to Enhance Encountering Common Security Challenges”.

At the end of the General Assembly, the Presidency of the PABSEC will be handed over to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and the next General Assembly will take place in Yerevan, in November 2024.

The representative of the Albanian BSEC Chairmanship-in-Office announced that the next meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials, will be held on 24-25 June 2024, in Istanbul, while the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States will be held online, on 28 June 2024.