64th Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly, Yerevan, 11-12 December 2024
The 64th Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly was held in Yerevan on 11-12 December 2024 in a hybrid format upon the invitation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia.
The parliamentary delegations of Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine participated in the work of the General Assembly. Representatives of the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat (BSEC PERMIS), the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB), the Union of Road Transport Associations of the BSEC Member States (BSEC-URTA), and the PABSEC Special Representative participated in the work of the General Assembly. Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), the Parliamentary Union of Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (PUIC) also took part in the work of the General Assembly as observers. The Head of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office took part in the work of the General Assembly as a guest.
Mr. Alen Simonyan, PABSEC President, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, addressed the Opening Ceremony. Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, addressed the participants.
The Assembly approved the Progress Report of the Assembly, the Minutes of the 63rd Plenary Session, ratified the New Credentials of new members of the Assembly from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece and North Macedonia, and accepted the proposal of Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Parliament of Cambodia.
The Assembly took note of the information on the activities of the BSEC Organization presented by Ambassador Lazar Comanescu, Secretary General of the BSEC PERMIS. Representatives of BSEC-Related bodies, parliamentary assemblies and international organizations addressed the Plenary Session.
During the General Debate, the Heads of National Delegations discussed “Unblocking of Borders as a Guarantee for Regional Development”.
The Assembly adopted Report and Recommendation 199/2024 of the Committee on Economic and Development Policy "Transport Infrastructure as a Means of Development in the BSEC States", Report and Recommendation 200/2024 of the Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation "Legal Challenges of the Refugee and Migration in the BSEC Region" and Report and Recommendation 201/2024 of the Committee on Social and Humanitarian Policy "The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the BSEC Member States".
The Assembly approved the 2025 Budget and confirmed the composition of the Draft Budget and Auditing Commission (Ukraine, Albania, Armenia), which will prepare the draft budget for 2026 and the Auditing Report for 2024.
The Assembly confirmed the decision of the Standing Committee to hold the 65th Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly in Azerbaijan in June 2025. It was also confirmed that the following issues will be considered during the spring meetings of the committees:
PABSEC Committee on Economic Policy and Development: “Towards a Greener Future: Cooperation for Technology Solutions in the Black Sea Region.”
PABSEC Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation: “International Cooperation in the Fight against Organized Crime in the BSEC Region.”
PABSEC Committee on Social and Humanitarian Policy: “Current Strategies and Practices for Advancing Education and Employment for People with Disabilities in the BSEC Region”
At the end of the Plenary Session, the PABSEC Presidency was transferred to the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan.