MEETING OF TRANSPORT MINISTERS OF BSEC MEMBER STATES PRESIDED OVER BY ARMENIA FOR FIRST TIME

Noyan Tapan
March 27, 2009

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. A meeting of transport ministers of
member states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC)
took place in Yerevan on March 27. Out of the 12 BSEC member states,
only two – Albania and Azerbaijan did not participate in the meeting
presided over by Armenia for the first time.

The RA Minister of Transport and Communication Gurgen Sargsyan
told reporters that issues related to construction of the BSEC Ring
Highway, development of Motorways of the Sea in the Black Sea region,
and facilitation of cargo transportation in the region were discussed
at the meeting. The problem of constructing North-South Highway was
also on the agenda. Despite the participation of the Turkish minister
in the meeting, according to G. Sargsyan, it is not planned to discuss
the possibility of opening Armenian-Turkish border.

The Deputy Head of Foreign Relations Department of the ministry
Arthur Sargsyan said the memorandum on construction of Ring Highway
in the Black Sea region was signed by BSEC member states in 2007 and
took effect on November 1, 2008. The Technical Secretariat operating
within the program’s framework distributed questionnaires to all the
member states, and their summarizing in the near future will allow
drawing a map of Ring Highway, with all the roads (operating and
to be built) being included. They must be in line with the minimum
European standards, in particular, be covered with asphalt and have
a minimum width of 6 meters. It was mentioned that there are no such
roads in Armenia.

According to A. Sargsyan, another two memorandums (on sea motorways in
the region and facilitation of cargo transportation) are in circulation
within the BSEC’s framework. The latter one envisages a simplified
order of granting a visa to drivers of trucks and has been signed so
far by 4 member states, including Armenia.