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, 14-15 February 2024
On 14 February 2024, upon the initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, 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 was organized in Istanbul. The Meeting was attended by the representatives of the Academies of Sciences of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Türkiye, and Ukraine, as well as the Black Sea Universities’ Network.
At the opening, the participants were addressed by Mr. Fatih Dönmez, PABSEC Vice-President, Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, and Ambassador Merve Safa Kavakci, First Deputy Secretary General of the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat.
During the Meeting, presentations were made by Academician Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, Academician Julian Revalsky, President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Bulgaria, Academician Roin Metreveli, President of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia, Academician Zhivko Popov, President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of North Macedonia, Prof. Dr. Muzafer Seker, President of the Turkish Academy of Sciences, Academician Anatoly Zagorodny, President of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician Ibrahim Guliyev, Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Academician Gheorghe Duca, Former President of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova, Academician Nicolae-Victor Zamfir, Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of Romania, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), Prof. Dr. Mehmet Naci İnci, Rector of Istanbul Bosphorus (Bogazici) University, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Versan Kok, Rector of the Middle East Technical University (Ankara), Prof. Dr. Ahmet Nuri Yurdusev, Acting President of the Association of Academies and Scientific Societies of Asia (AASSA), Prof. Dr. Osman Bulent Zulfikar, Future President of the Black Sea Universities’ Network (BSUN) (2024-2026), Rector of Istanbul University, Prof. Stanislav Dovgyi, President of the Junior Academies of Sciences of Ukraine, Prof. Eden Mamut, Secretary General of the BSUN, Prof. Denys Svyrydenko, Representative of the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
The participants spoke about the activities of their institutions and, in a constructive working atmosphere, exchanged views on a wide range of issues of cooperation in the field of science and education between the countries of the Wider Black Sea Region. It was noted that stable dynamics of interaction with the aim to fully unlock the advantages of the member states within the framework of multilateral cooperation and scientific and technological development.
It was decided to hold these meetings annually and proposed to organize the next meeting in 2025 in Istanbul under the patronage of Istanbul University and the Black Sea Universities’ Network.