On the 25th of October, 2014, the city of Minsk hosted the 13th Board Meeting of the International Fund for Cooperation and Partnership of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea (BSCSIF).
The event was attended by the distinguished guests from the BSCSIF member countries, high officials from Belarus, representatives of regional and international organizations, ambassadors and representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Belarus, non-governmental organizations and mass-media.
The agenda included topics of great significance for the region and the future of the organization, such as the constant and quality enlargement and increasing the efficiency of the BSCSIF activity by establishing cooperation with international organizations and strategic think-tanks, enhancement of the regional economic cooperation, development and implementation of the industrial-innovations project in the city of Minsk. This project, which has attracted interest and found support at the highest level on behalf of the President of the Republic of Belarus HE Mr. Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko, is one of the largest and most significant ideas of BSCSIF in the fields of science, research and innovation.
The work sessions were chaired by the BSCSIF President, Dr. Ismail Safi who also held the welcoming speech and presented the BSCSIF activity and the strategy for further development of the Fund, as well as by the BSCSIF Vice-Presidents Mr. Viktor Khmarin and Mr. Chingiz Abdullayev.
The 13th Board Meeting marked an important stage of acceptance of new Board members from Austria (Mr. Peter Stania) and Luxembourg (Ms. Ray Monde Philipps) in order to contribute to the development and enlargement of the Fund as an international organization within the European community. During the Board Meeting the new full members were accepted from the region and beyond: Switzerland (Mr. Jan Adamec), Greece (Mr. Dimitrios Triantaphyllou), Bulgaria (Mr. Zdravko Vassilev Popov), Russian Federation (Mr. Ismail Lepiyev) and juridical persons from Hungary (Oasis Hungary KFT), Montenegro (Celebic Group) and South Africa (Merit Group).
During the Board meeting, there was a presentation of the cultural project „Caress the World – a new way to cherish the planet”, held by Ms. Raymonde Philipps, future involvement of BSCSIF in the project with the aim of further strengthening of the intercultural relations within the countries from the Black Sea- Caspian Sea region.
As well, the participation of BSCSIF in the African Delphic Games Project, taking place in Durban, South Africa, on 22-29 November, 2014, was discussed by the Board members. The project is implemented by the National Delphic Council of South Africa in partnership with BSCSIF. The International Fund will contribute to the event by selecting internationally recognized artists, singers, painters and dancers that will bring added value to this important event. The Delphic Games is an international competition in the area of culture and art, held with the aim of strengthening fundamental human values, facilitating intercultural exchange and supporting international stability and peace.
The International Fund for Cooperation and Partnership of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea is an international non-governmental organization, founded on the 4th of March, 2009, by distinguished representatives of civil society and public life from eight countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine. Later on, Later, in 2011-2014, representatives from 19 more countries joined BSCSIF, adding to a total of 27 countries: Russian Federation, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Belarus, Croatia, Iran, Albania, Swiss Confederation, Republic of South Africa, Sao Tome and Principe, China, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Estonia, Czech Republic and Slovenia. The BSCSIF central office is located in Bucharest, and 6 branches actively operate in Brussels, Istanbul, Moscow, Belgrade, Varna and Minsk.
In August 2013, the BSCSIF was granted the Special Consultative Status within the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organizations (ECOSOC), an achievement highly appreciated by the BSCSIF members and strategic partners.
