LEADERS GATHER IN ISTANBUL FOR BLACK SEA SUMMIT
Daily Times, Pakistan
June 26 2007
ISTANBUL: The leaders of a dozen nations in the Black Sea region,
including Russia, gathered in Istanbul on Monday under tight security
to discuss ways to boost trade and economic cooperation.
The summit of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) marks the 15th anniversary of the body, which promotes stability
and economic ties between nations that belonged to opposite camps
during the Cold War.
Turkish police stepped up security measures ahead of the gathering,
to be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Five people, among them Chechens, suspected of having links with the
Al-Qaeda network were arrested in Istanbul on Sunday as part of a
general sweep against outlawed groups, media reports said.
BSEC is comprised of the Black Sea littoral states – Bulgaria, Georgia,
Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine – as well as Albania, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Greece, Moldova and Serbia.
The summit in Istanbul was preceded by a meeting of foreign ministers,
who stressed that lingering political problems and territorial disputes
were obstructing deeper economic cooperation.
"We can express regret that the political potential of the organisation
is not completely utilised," Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul suggested that informal meetings
on the sidelines of BSEC gatherngs "can constitute a good beginning
to efforts to find a solution to our political problems".
Armenia, which has no diplomatic ties with Turkey, was the only
country to be represented by a foreign minister. All other nations sent
presidents or prime ministers, who were to hold a summit conference
later in the day.
Turkey refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia
because of Yerevan’s campaign for the mass killings of Armenians
under the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century to be recognised
internationally as genocide.
In 1993, Turkey shut its border with Armenia in a show of solidarity
with its close ally Azerbaijan, which was at loggerheads with Armenia
over the disputed enclave of Nagorny-Karabakh enclave.
Turkey, which currently chairs BSEC, says it wants to give a new
impetus to the organisation. It wants to see greater efforts in
transport, energy, trade, environmental protection and combatting
organised crime.
One major objective on the BSEC agenda is upgrading transport
infrastructure, including a projected 7,500-kilometre (4,660-mile)
ring road along the Black Sea coast and regular maritime links between
member states.
Removing legal barriers to trade is another priority, with a special
meeting on the issue scheduled for September.
The group is also seeking closer cooperation with the European Union,
with the vice president of the European Commission, Guenter Verheugen,
attending the summit in Istanbul.
Three of the BSEC nations – Bulgaria, Greece and Romania – are EU
member states.
The BSEC covers nearly 20 million square kilometres (7.7 million
square miles) with a population of 350 million. Its member states
have a total foreign trade capacity of 300 billion dollars (223.5
billion euros) a year.
The region is the world’s second-largest source of oil and natural gas,
after the Gulf.