Visit of Mr. Bodo Bahr, Secretary General of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) to the PABSEC International Secretariat, Istanbul, 5 March 2018
Mr. Bodo Bahr, Secretary General of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC) paid a visit to the PABSEC International Secretariat, on 5 March 2018, and had a meeting with Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General.
The sides discussed issues of common interest concerning the improvement of the cooperation between the two organizations, in the framework of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed under the auspices of the Ukrainian’s PABSEC Presidency, in September 2017.
The conversation was focused on the migration issue. In this respect, Mr. Bahr informed Mr. Hajiyev that the BSPC has established the Working Group on Migration and Integration, in order to discuss such issues, as following: the causes of flight and migration, migration policy goals, governance guidelines, demographic development and migration, status and trends in migration, challenges and prospects of migration and integration in the Baltic Sea Region.
The PABSEC Secretary General noted that the migration issue is very important for the Black Sea Region, because during the last few years, more than 4 million migrants arrived in the Black Sea Region, out of which 3 million live in Turkey. Mr. Hajiyev informed that the BSEC Member States are particularly concerned about the multiple effects of migration and the PABSEC adopted the respective Reports and Recommendations in this field.
Mr. Bahr extended his most sincere congratulations to Mr. Hajiyev, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the PABSEC and invited him to participate in the 27th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, to be held in Åland, on 26–28 August 2018.
The PABSEC Secretary General invited Mr. Bahr and extended the invitation to Mr. Jörgen Pettersson, President of the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, to attend the 51st PABSEC General Assembly, to be held in Tirana, on 19-21 June 2018.