On June 26, 2012, in Istanbul, the 20th Anniversary Istanbul Summit of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Heads of State or Government was held. It marked the 20th anniversary of the launching of BSEC at the Istanbul Summit, on June 25 1992.
The event, which was hosted by the Republic of Turkey, was Co-Chaired by the President of the Republic of Serbia., H.E. Mr. Tomislav NIKOLIC, representing the ex Chairmanship-in-Office of BSEC and the President of the republic of Turkey, H.E. Adbullah GÜL, representing the host country of the incoming Chairmanship-in-Office. The transfer of chairmanship, as well as the election of H.E. Ambassador Victor TVIRCUN, from Republic of Moldova, as Secretary General of the BSEC PERMIS on July 1 2012, upon the decision of the 26th Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Belgrade in June 2012, are of great joy to BSCSIF, as both countries are members of our organization and active participants in the development of our activity. Actually, 9 of the BSEC countries (Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine) are also members of our Fund, which is why the main objectives of BSCSIF are very similar to those promoted by BSEC, being directed towards promoting the development of cooperation between governmental organizations and civil society in the countries of the Black sea region in such areas as economy, investment climate, civil society, environmental protection, science, education, culture and tolerance.
On the auspicious occasion of the 20th Anniversary BSEC Summit of Heads of State or Government, there were organized parallel events including:
– a special meeting of PABSEC (Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation),
– an Academics Forum (with the Centre for Strategic Research- SAM),
– a Private Sector Roundtable Meeting (In cooperation with the UNDP-Istanbul International Center for Private Sector in Development – IICPSD) and
– an NGO Forum.
The NGO Forum was organized following the initiative of Mr. Ismail SAFI, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Turkish Parliament, member of the PABSEC Economic, Commercial, Technological and Environmental Affairs Committee and Head of the Turkish Delegation, and Vice-President of BSCSIF and the Director of its branch in Istanbul.
BSCSIF had the honour to be invited in the NGO Forum, and was represented there by Mrs. Marcela Curmei, Office Coordinator in Bucharest and Adviser for Economic Cooperation to BSCSIF. Aiming to create a platform for the NGOs around the Black Sea Region and to discuss future cooperation possibilities, the “Black Sea Non-Governmental Organizations Forum” took place as a round table meeting with no specific agenda. The discussions focused on current regional developments and served as an opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences. Transport, environmental protection, trade and economic development, energy, migration management, combating organized crime, communications and information technology, science and technology, healthcare and pharmaceutics, institutional renewal and good governance, education, culture, tourism and customs matters are among the fields of cooperation within the framework of the NGO forum.
Based on the foregoing, we consider it necessary to further promote partnerships with influential international organizations, such as the United Nations, Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and especially the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, in order to contribute to a peaceful and stable development of the region.