VARTAN OSKANIAN: COMMON FEATURES OF BSEC COUNTRIES SHOULD
PREVAIL OVER THIER DIFFERENCES
01-11-2006 19:20:00 | Ռուսաստան | Economy
MOSCOW, NOVEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian took part in the 15th meeting of the
Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization (BSEC) in Moscow on October 31 -
November 1. According to the RA MFA Press and Information
Department, within the meeting's framework, he met with the
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The sides discussed the
bilateral relations and regional problems, and addressed the
issue of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.
During the 15th meeting of BSEC Council of Foreign
Ministers , V. Oskanian made a speech, in which he noted that
despite the existing problems, BSEC member states have much in
common. In his words, these common features should prevail over
the existing differences, which will allow to create a
environment conducive to the solution of political problems. He
said that along with the efforts to create a transport link,
there are also attemps to resort to the policy of by-passing or
forcing out some member states or ignoring the already existing
transport means, which is unacceptable for members of the same
organization.
Speaking about the upcoming Bulgaria's and Romania's
joining the EU, V. Oskanian underlined that this opens a new
opportunity for close cooperation of the BSEC and the EU, taking
into account certain common interests and some countries'
membership of both organizations.
The minister proposed studying the experience during
preparation for the summit on the 15th anniversary of the BSEC
in Istanbul and making institutional reforms to increase the
organization's efficiency.
A joint declaration was adopted at the meeting of the BSEC
Council of Foreign Ministers. The chairmanship of the
organization was assumed by Russia (from Serbia).