TURKEY TO HOST RUSSIAN PRESIDENT IN LATE JUNE
Faruk Akkan Moscow
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
June 16 2007
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the invitation of
the Turkish prime ministers and will attend the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (BSEC) summit to be held in Istanbul on June 25.
The summit, which will address a number of issues including energy,
transportation, trade and investment, organized crime, combating
terrorism and environmental degradation, will be attended by Greek
Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev,
Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko and heads of states or cabinet
leaders from other member countries Georgia, Bulgaria and Romania.
Armenia, which previously announced that it would not attend at the
level of president, will be represented by Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanyan.
Established in Istanbul in 1992, the BSEC includes member countries
Turkey, the Russian Federation, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia,
Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Moldova and Armenia. The
organization set its goal as contributing to the maintenance of
political stability and promotion of economic cooperation in the
region. Member countries are dispersed throughout the Balkans, the
Caucasus and Black Sea regions inhabited by 350 million people. The
foreign trade volume of the region is $300 billion. The region, which
has the second largest energy resources in the world, also serves as
a major artery of international transportation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
