BSEC has the potential to enhance its own effectiveness through project-oriented cooperation
12 December 2013 News
For over two decades, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation has proven its outstanding significance for promotion of security, stability and prosperity in the region. The globalizing world has created new challenges, which the Organization should tackle in order to ensure further development of our regional cooperation. Bulgaria firmly believes that, despite the existing differences among the Member states, BSEC has the potential and capacity to successfully enhance its own effectiveness, mainly through emphasizing on the project-oriented cooperation. This was said by Minister Kristian Vigenin at the opening of the 29th meeting of the Council of BSEC Foreign Ministers, held in Yerevan.
According to Vigenin, the meeting in Erevan is a valuable opportunity to exchange views on the current state of the implementation of the BSEC Economic Agenda and to share thoughts and ideas on the future development of the cooperation in the Black Sea region. “ The implementation of the provisions set out in the Agenda is of major importance for promoting sustainable growth and economic development in our region, and for strengthening the significance of BSEC as the most representative, comprehensive and institutionally developed organization in the Black Sea region,” he said.
In the words of Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister, strengthening the interaction between BSEC and other international and regional organizations and institutions will contribute to the economic and political stability of the Black Sea region. This will be one of the goals of the incoming on 1 January 2014 Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office. The BSEC-European Union interaction should be directed towards a pragmatic, project-oriented cooperation for resolving the most outstanding issues in the economic development of the region. Common projects could be launched in key areas like energy, environment, transport, tourism, integrated maritime policy, education, and others,” Kristian Vigenin said.
In Bulgaria’s opinion, there is a good potential for enhanced cooperation between the Black Sea and the Danube region, as well as between the Black Sea and the Adriatic-Ionian region, including in the framework of the EU macro-regional strategies. Closer interaction between BSEC and the Danube strategy of the EU should be encouraged, as far as both basins are geographically interconnected and common projects would be mutually beneficial and hold added value for the countries and citizens of both regions, Bulgaria’s top diplomat said.
During its Chairmanship-in-Office, Bulgaria will endeavor to revitalize one of the major infrastructural initiatives of our Organization – the Black Sea Ring Highway project which will contribute to the economic growth and development of the region, as well as to the increase of trade and investments. “We believe that more emphasis should be put on the development of public-private partnerships and relations with NGOs, especially in the implementation of specific projects, ” added minister Vigenin.
The foreign ministers of the BSEC member states discussed the situation in the Black Sea region, the interaction with the EU and the opportunities for further development of the cooperation within BSEC. The agenda of the meeting includes identifying country coordinators of working groups in various areas of cooperation for the next period.
During their meeting the foreign ministers will adopt the final documents discussed at yesterday's meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials. They are related to different organizational and financial issues, identifying the countries coordinators of BSEC working groups and others.
Today Minister Vigenin will participate in the ceremony on assuming the rotating Chairmanship-in-office of BSEC by Bulgaria for the period 1 January - 30 June 2014.