TURKEY: ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVES FOR BLACK SEA ECONOMIC SUMMIT

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
June 24 2007

Istanbul, 24 June: Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian
arrived in Istanbul on Sunday [24 June] to attend the summit of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on its 15th anniversary.

Heads of state and government of BSEC member countries as well as
representatives from observer countries are expected to attend the
summit scheduled to start on Monday.

The summit, which will be held under the banner, "Setting Sails for
New Horizons," is believed to give BSEC a new direction and momentum
under Turkey’s rotating chairmanship.

The summit will gather 12 member countries and 13 observer countries
in addition to representatives from international organizations such
as the United Nations, European Union, Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, OECD, World Bank, World Trade Organization.

The summit will begin at Istanbul’s Ciragan Palace and will be chaired
by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.

A final declaration will be released at the end of the summit which
is expected to outline political directives that will shape the future
of BSEC and constitute a milestone in its history.