Black Sea Economic Cooperation Meeting

Anadolu Agency: 10/31/2003

STATE MINISTER AND DEPUTY PM SENER: ''WE INVITE MEMBER STATES TO CONTRIBUTE TO PROJECT PROMOTION FUND''

BAKU - State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said on Friday that he invited Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) member states to contribute to the BSEC Project Promotion Fund.

Addressing the ninth meeting of BSEC Foreign Ministers Council, Sener said that four member states contributed to the Project Promotion Fund and they also expected the contribution of other members.

Stressing the importance of contribution of BSEC institutions such as the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank to the fund, Sener said that concrete cooperation could be ensured with other international institutions through that fund.

Sener recalled that BSEC Secretariat also attempted to sign a memorandum of understanding with World Bank, Sener said that this initiative could constitute the basis of technical and financial contributions of World Bank to Project Promotion Fund in the future.

Referring to the energy sources in BSEC region, Sener said that BSEC geography which was centered in the middle of Eurasia was both one of the biggest producers of oil and natural gas in the world and also its importance was increasing due to its key role between the East and the West.

Sener stated that BSEC constituted an important bridge in respect of transporting Caspian and Central Asian energy sources between Asia and Europe.

''BSEC member states should try to found sustainable transportation systems which will connect their transportation infrastructure to European and Asian transportation network to meet the economic, social and environmental needs of the region,'' Sener said.

Pointing out that BSEC as an economic institution encouraged development of trade and economy among member states, Sener said that the organization also contributed to the peace and stability process in the Black Sea region.

Underlining the fact that the organization also had direct connection with security issues such as fight with terrorism, drug smuggling and organized crime, Sener said that Working Group which acted to determine the contributions of BSEC in the field of strengthening regional security and stability, continued its studies.

Recalling that BSEC member states were also members of Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Sener said that a comprehensive cooperation process started between the two institutions.

Sener stated that BSEC should also have close cooperation with U.N. institutions, adding that Turkey supported the agreements foreseen to be signed the same day.

Totally 11 member states and eight observer states attended the BSEC meeting in Baku.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayet Guliyev, Albanian Foreign Minister Roland Buima, Romanian Foreign Minister Christian Diaconescu, Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili attended the meeting. Deputy foreign ministers of other member states namely Bulgaria, Armenia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, and also observer states namely Germany, Austria, Israel, Italy, France, Kazakhstan, Egypt and Poland attended the meeting.

Representatives of U.N., Council of Europe, World Bank also participated in the meeting.

As Bulgaria which would take over the term presidency from Azerbaijan announced that it was not ready for this presidency, elections will be held for election of the new term president.

(�Ş-A�) 31.10.2003

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