The 52nd Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) General Assembly kicked off in Yerevan, Armenia, on Tuesday.

Welcoming the participants of the Yerevan meeting, PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev (Azerbaijan) hailed the assembly as ‘a strong structure with years of accumulated experience’.

He said that the constructive position of the parliaments of the structure’s member states opens a broader path for the productive activities of the PABSEC. 

Following Hajiyev’s speech, the awarding ceremony of PABSEC Honorary Medals was scheduled, but a representative of the Georgian delegation stated that the head of their delegation refuses from the medal without providing further comments.

The Turkish delegation head Cemal Ozturk also declined the medal, saying he didn’t have the honor to accept it. 

Head of the Azerbaijani delegation Eldar Guliyev also announced that he has served in the structure for only two years and cannot receive such a medal. 

Armenian National Assembly Speaker Ara Babloyan, who was chairing the session, stressed he cannot refuse such a medal, but understands the delegations’ decisions.

“You may receive similar medals in a few years. With this step, you deprived your countries of responsibility,” Babloyan added.

The speaker also said the head of the Ukrainian delegation was invited to the session but couldn’t attend due to personal reasons.

"This is an open platform for discussions. Those who don’t want to get medals in Yerevan will get them in Baku,” he said.

The heads of the other delegations, including Speaker Babloyan, were awarded with the honorary medals. 

The PABSEC secretary general congratulated all the awardees.