ARMENIA TO ASSUME BSEC PRESIDENCY FOR SIX MONTHS
armradio.am
25.06.2008 13:50
Mr. Gegham Gharibjanian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of
theRepublic of Armenia gave an interview to "Capital" newspaper and
"Arminfo" news agency on the occasion of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization’s Day (BSEC)
– What do you think is a true value of the BSEC as a regional
organization and how is it integrated in the world economic relations
in the view of new global challenges?
The Black Sea Economic Cooperation, one of the influential and
representative organizations in the region, was launched in 1992
as an initiative bearing a specific responsibility for promoting
multilateral mutually beneficial economic cooperation and securing
stability and prosperity in the Black Sea region. The BSEC conception
has been to comprise those who are bound up with the Black Sea and
have standing political and economic interests even when sometimes
policies and approaches essentially differ.
The Organization, that tries to address the most substantive
challenges of regional economic cooperation and contributes to its
project-oriented agenda, is also called for developing the common
principles of regional cooperation as part of the integration process
in Europe and a higher degree of integration into the world economy.
I will not be mistaken if say that the BSEC-EU interaction in
particular after the milestone meeting in Kiev on February 14, is of
potential importance to the future of a result-oriented cooperation
in the Black Sea region as it has a greater impact to address the
real needs of the region.
The BSEC has become a major instrument in the process of
intensification of the Black Sea strategies and plays an important
role in its development and formation of shared values and interests.
Addressing the challenges which BSEC Member States encounter, and the
difficulties affecting the multilateral process, the Organization’s
strategy should concentrate on the comparative advantages of regional
cooperation, the priority sectors, infrastructures and investments
and the strategic significance of the region in the context of the
wider European economy.
– What are the priorities of the BSEC economic agenda?
>From the very beginning, as it was provided for in the BSEC Chapter,
the Organization was aimed at fostering cooperation among the
member-states in the major economic fields – energy, transport,
agriculture and agro-industry, health care, environmental protection,
tourism, science and technology, communications, trade, collaboration
among customs authorities, combating organized crime etc.
Gradually, along with the mentioned priorities, the new ones, such as
good governance and institutional renewal, development of small and
medium entrepreneurship, emergency assistance, combating international
terrorism and others have emerged in the Black Sea region and found
their place on the BSEC agenda.
– What kind of joint programs does the BSEC carry out with other
international organizations?
There is a number of international organizations the BSEC collaborates
to in different formats. With some of them it signed Memoranda of
Understanding (UN, EU, CIS).
I would mention just one of the initiatives – Black Sea Trade and
Investment Program – which is executed by the UNDP. The Program
is aimed at promoting investment and trade links within the BSEC
region. It creates the capacity within the Black Sea business support
institutions to take advantage of intra-regional trade and investment
expansion opportunity. The beneficiaries of the Program are small
and medium-sized enterprises and business support organizations of
the BSEC member states.
As you know, one of the last presentations of the Program was organized
in Yerevan on April 3rd this year with the efforts of the Armenian
Development Agency.
– As you mentioned, the BSEC is a project-oriented organization. How
can a member state make use of the BSEC funds for project
implementation?
There is a Project Development Fund operating within the framework
of the BSEC. The Fund, that provides financial support to eligible
proposals and projects, was established for the purpose of facilitating
the elaboration and promotion of projects with a focus on regional
cooperation and major economic development in the BSEC area.
The Fund operates on the principle of voluntary contributions from the
BSEC member-states, related bodies, observers and third parties. The
amount of contribution is 30.000 USD or Euros. Only entities from
those member-states who made a contribution may have priority to
benefit from the Fund.
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank is another financial
institution operating within the framework of the BSEC. The Bank is
established by the BSEC Member States and supports regional economic
cooperation by providing project financing and supporting public
and private enterprises in its member countries. In recent years,
the BSTB invested 2.1 million Euros in the "Beer of Yerevan" CJSC,
23 million USD in the "RusAl Armenia" CJSC and 3 million USD in the
ACBA (Credit Agricole Bank Closed Joint Stock Company).
Due to the efforts of the Government of Greece a new financial
institution, the Hellenic Development Fund, has been established
recently. The BSEC has been included in the Official Development
Assistance Programs of the OECD which allows the Organization promoting
through the Fund economic cooperation and development projects in
the region.
– What challenges are currently being faced by the BSEC as an
organization for regional economic cooperation?
The fundamental principles of the BSEC, which is determined to promote
a lasting and closer cooperation among the states of the Black Sea
region and to enhance the mutually advantageous economic cooperation,
are provided for in the BSEC Charter’s Preamble and secured in a
number of provisions of other statutory papers of the Organization
adopted by the member-states.
At the meantime, the delegations of some member-states to the BSEC
Organization have been applying continuous efforts to raise global
and regional political issues of a sensitive nature including those
of international conflicts and to include the politically motivated
formulations in the respective documents.
This approach is inconsistent with fundamental provisions of
statutory documents of the BSEC and tends to shift the forum into
one of deadlocked and time-wasting discussions on unsettled political
conflicts and, accordingly, could not be acceptable for the most of
BSEC member-states who feel the fate of the BSEC keenly.
Besides, referring to the recent letter of the Turkish Foreign Minister
addressed to the BSEC Ministers of Foreign Affairs, it is to be noted
that despite the unsettled issues existing in bilateral relations
between our countries, we share the former’s deep concern on new
interim as well as international challenges addressing durability of
our organization. Indeed, the organization is wasting its precious
time also on non-effective and pointless procedural issues, instead
of fostering the necessary practical measures to maintain reformation
processes within the organization.
– What are the main priorities of the Republic of Armenia in the
BSEC and how do you envisage our country’s prospects within the
organization?
Armenia is one of the founder-countries of the BSEC. We have the BSEC
representation in Istanbul.
There is a representative of the Republic of Armenia in the
BSEC Permanent International Secretariat who is responsible for
international economic policy and BSEC-EU cooperation – one of the
key operational sector of the organization. A representative of the
Armenian Foreign Ministry is a board-member of a number of the BSEC
related bodies.
As for the main priority areas, I would single out the following root
issues for Armenia within the framework of BSEC cooperation: transport
and energy, agriculture, science, technology and communications,
education, environment and tourism, public administration, cooperation
in emergency assistance and combating crime etc. We have joined
to almost all agreements signed in these areas, particularly on
transport and energy cooperation. The Republic of Armenia is currently
a country-coordinator for energy cooperation.
Since this coming November our country is assuming the six-month
Chairmanship in the BSEC. This is a privilege and great
responsibility. The Armenian Government and public institutions
involved have already set about the preparation activities and
proceeding to be thoroughly prepared for duly implementation of their
duties during the forthcoming Chairmanship-in-Office.
We, as a BSEC member-state and the next Chairman of the organization,
are confident that the BSEC is playing a significant role in the
regional as well as the world economic and social life, so we will
redouble our efforts to withstand the world global challenges to keep
this organization alive forever.