"THE BLACK SEA TRUST WILL SEEK CREATIVE WAYS TO ENHANCE THE ROLE OF
CIVIL SOCIETY IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT"

(The exclusive interview of Mark Cunningham, Program Officer with the
German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the Lead Coordinator
of the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, to Armenian Mediamax
news agency, December 2006)

– In June 2006, the GMF announced the establishing of the Black Sea
Trust. What work has been carried out during this half a year, and
when will the Black Sea Trust start fully functioning?

– On June 5, 2006 GMF, in cooperation with the U.S. and Romanian
Governments, officially announced the intention to create the Black
Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation at the Black Sea Forum held in
Bucharest, Romania. This announcement is the result of more than three
years of discussion and refinement of the Black Sea Trust concept. In
addition, the Black Sea Trust builds on two years of GMF programming
in the Black Sea region including: study tours for policymakers, think
tank professionals, and journalists; events in Washington, DC and
other European capitals highlighting the geostrategic importance of
the region; and several publications arguing for the formation of
stronger regional identity.

Over the past 6 months GMF has been working with all it partners to
lay the early groundwork for the Trust. We hope to have the Black Sea
Trust fully operational by the summer of 2007.

– The solution of what tasks is a priority for the Black Sea Trust?
What was the reason for the decision to establish such a structure,
and what model was used as a basis for that?

– Until now, international assistance to the countries of the Black
Sea has not focused on promoting regional collaboration, deepening
good governance and practices, and forming strong cross-border bonds
as a component part of promoting regional identity, stability, and
growth.

There have been some inter-governmental efforts to develop the
region’s political and economic stability with the establishment of
the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in 1992, the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in 1993, the Black Sea Trade and
Development Bank in 1997 and GUAM (a coordination mechanism between
former Soviet republics Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova).

The Romanian government has also been proactive in strengthening a
sense of regional identity amongst all the littoral states. Their most
notable initiative was the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and
Partnership, which took place in Bucharest, June 5, 2006. But
significantly less attention has been placed on the interaction
between citizens and government or regional cooperation with a focus
on stability, democratization, rule of law, and human and civil
rights. A vibrant civic culture and active participation in the
governing process are crucial to the development of mature political
systems in this region. Over the long term, greater citizen
engagement and tighter links between the institutions of civil society
and those of local and national governments will be critical for both
democratic stability and performance.

GMF, USAID and the Mott Foundation have joined forces before, creating
in 2003 the award-winning Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD), upon which
the Black Sea Trust is modeled. BTD is a $35 million fund that has
given out millions of dollars in grants promoting regional cooperation
and reconciliation, civil society development, and democracy-building
ideas and institutions throughout the Balkans.

The Black Sea Trust will provide grants through three program areas:

1) Civic Participation, which will focus on empowering citizens to engage
with their elected officials on issues of local and national concern;
2) Cross-Border Initiatives, which will support efforts across the Black Sea
to build networks of like-minded citizens and officials seeking to share
best practices and jointly tackle common problems; and
3) East-East Cooperation, which will fund linkages between groups in Central
Europe with their counterparts in the Black Sea region.

– Which organizations represent donors of the Black Sea Trust, and how
much is the capital of the Black Sea Trust?

– In order to promote the democratic reform, regional cooperation, the
development of civil society, and good governance in the Black Sea
region, the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is
creating the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation, a $20 million
plus, grantmaking initiative that will be in operation for at least 10
years. Initial donors to the Black Sea Trust are expected to include
GMF, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, and the Romanian government.

– Which of the Black Sea region states support the Black Sea Trust,
and what kind of support is it?

– For now only the Romanian Government has made a formal commitment to
support the work of the Trust. The Black Sea Trust, through the
financial management of GMF, will house funds from a variety of
donors. Each donor could potentially attach specific requirements for
the use of its funds, and the Black Sea Trust mechanism will be
structured in a way to accommodate those requirements. The Trust
mechanism has been very effective in managing different pools of
funding. The Black Sea Trust hopes to benefit from additional support
from other countries of the wider Black Sea region over the course of
its life.

– The Black Sea Trust will be providing grants to NGOs, media, etc. in
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russia,
Turkey and Ukraine. Will any preference be given to any concrete
states or projects, directed to the stimulation of regional
cooperation?

– The countries included initially in the Black Sea Trust’s work are:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey,
Ukraine, and the regions of Russia bordering on the Black
Sea. Initially, the majority of grants will be directed towards the
Caucasus, Ukraine, and Moldova. Approximately $2 million will be
given out each year within three programs: Civic Participation, Cross
Border Initiatives, and East-East Cooperation.

– Do you think that the Black Sea Trust can back initiatives, directed
to establishing a more favorable atmosphere in the relations between
Armenia and Turkey, Russia and Georgia?

– We hope to engage civil society in looking for creative ways in
which we can address very difficult and complicated set of issues. The
broadest goal of the Black Sea Trust is to assist the countries of the
Black Sea region in achieving their stated aspirations of joining the
transatlantic community. This will require these countries to
undertake significant social, economic, and political reforms
internally and to improve cooperation across this turbulent
region. While the German Marshall Fund will continue to work with the
Black Sea countries on a variety of policy dialogues, peer-to-peer
exchanges, and high level discussions in Brussels, Washington, and
other key Euro-Atlantic capitals, the work of the Black Sea Trust will
be focused on the building blocks of political reform in the region.

– Russia and Turkey do not have peculiar enthusiasm in connection with
the new initiatives in the wider Black Sea region. Won’t that
circumstance hinder the work of the Black Sea Trust?

– The Black Sea Trust in-keeping with the mission and programmatic
focus of the GMF, will serve as a neutral interlocutor aimed at
promoting a stronger regional identity for the benefit of all
countries within the wider Black Sea region.

– Will the Black Sea Trust fund programs, assisting the settlement of
the conflicts, existing in the South Caucasus?

– While the Black Sea Trust will not actively pursue initiatives
specifically focused on the resolution of the regions conflicts, the
Trust will seek creative ways to enhance the role of civil society in
conflict management. The four unresolved conflicts present major
obstacles to strengthening regional cooperation and establishing peace
and stability in the region. Civil society can play a key role in the
decision-making process on the national and regional level as well as
play a diplomatic role in situations where official channels cease to
function. Civil society can also disseminate information and provide
analysis regarding potential solutions and generating public and
international support.