The PABSEC Participation in the 19th Meeting of the Ad-Hoc Working Group of Experts on BSEC-EU Interaction, Athens, 1 November 2023
Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, and Mr. Miltiadis Makrygiannis, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General, took part in the 19th Meeting of the Ad-Hoc Working Group of Experts on the BSEC–EU Interaction that took place in Athens on 1 November 2023.
The Meeting was chaired by Mr. C. Fırat SIRMA, Head of Department, Directorate- General for Multilateral Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Τürkiye.
Ambassador Lazar Comanescu, BSEC PERMIS Secretary General, welcomed the participants and spoke about the current status of relations between the BSEC and the EU underlining that the development of BSEC-EU cooperation in a project-oriented, flexible and mutually beneficial manner ranks high among BSEC priorities. Ms. Rositsa Stoeva, Executive Manager of the BSEC PERMIS, presented the ongoing and potential projects, which are managed by the BSEC PERMIS and in which the BSEC PERMIS is involved as contributor.
Several presentations took place, from the representative of the Romanian Coordination of the Steering Group of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, from representatives of relevant EU institutions and from the representative of the OECD regarding activities of the Organization in the Wider Black Sea Region.
In his speech Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, congratulated the representatives of the BSEC PERMIS for the projects that are involved and highlighted the interaction between the EU and the BSEC Member States underlining the great importance of the Black Sea region as the main supply corridor for European countries. He drew participants’ attention to the Middle Corridor Initiative which is important not only for the BSEC but also for the EU as the shortest transport route between Europe and Asia. He proposed that BSEC discusses this initiative with the active involvement of the PABSEC since implementation of such projects needs respective legislative framework and the MPs of the Black Sea Member States will have a significant role in its preparation.