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Bulgaria becomes president of Black Sea Economic Cooperation

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister said as the country presided the organisation from January 1 through to June 30, the main task would be development of cooperation between BSEC and regional organisations

© AP Photo/Serkan Senturk

SOFIA, January 01, 15:18 /ITAR-TASS/. Bulgaria has taken over from Armenia chairing at the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

As a rule, the chairing role is given from one country to another in the alphabetic order. Thus, following Armenia should have been Azerbaijan. However, earlier Baku asked to shift the timing, and the chairing role went to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin said as the country presided the organisation from January 1 through to June 30, the main task would be development of active cooperation between BSEC and other international and regional organisations. Bulgaria will implement actively joint projects in the energy, transport, tourism, and environment. The project of the Black Sea circle road will continue. It, the minister said, would “favour the economic growth and the region’s development, will improve the trade and investments.”

“Bulgaria will apply every effort to develop contacts between BSEC and the European Union, which will be mutually beneficial,” the foreign minister said.

On 25 June 1992, heads of state and government of eleven countries signed in Istanbul the Summit Declaration and the Bosporus Statement giving birth to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). It came into existence as a model of multilateral political and economic initiative aimed at fostering interaction and harmony among the member states, as well as at ensuring peace, stability and prosperity encouraging friendly and good-neighbourly relations in the Black Sea region.

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