LAVROV: RUSSIA SPEAKS FOR STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS IN THE BLACK SEA REGION

Regnum, Russia
May 17 2006

Issues of Russia’s chairmanship in the Organization for Black Sea
Economic Cooperation (in May-October 2006), as well as problems of
intensifying and raising effectiveness of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Secretariat have become main issue of a meeting between
Sergey Lavrov with Secretary General of the organization Leonidas
Khrisantopulos, who assumed office on May 1, REGNUM is told in the
Russian embassy in Armenia.

During the meeting, Sergey Lavrov confirmed Russia’s adherence to the
principal policy of strengthening neighborly relations and stability
in Black Sea region, providing favorable conditions for trade and
economic cooperation. Russia is also interested in implementing within
frameworks of the organization initiatives on practical cooperation, in
particular, in transports or engineering, as well as in other fields,
the minister noted. According to him, Russia is persistent in pursuing
a policy in the Organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation to
implement projects on renewing regular service between ports of the
Black Sea, extending cooperation in power engineering by connecting
electricity supply networks of the region and promote synchronization
of functioning of electricity supply networks of East and West Europe,
coordinated developing of transport corridors around the Black Sea,
particularly, highways.

An agreement was reached at the meeting about close cooperation of
the Russian foreign ministry and the secretariat in implementing
action scheduled for Russia’s chairmanship in the Organization for
Black Sea Economic Cooperation.