ROMANIA HOSTS CONFERENCE ON BLACK SEA REGIONAL SECURITY
Rompres news agency
12 Jul 04
Bucharest, 12 July: Cooperation of countries in the Black Sea area on
regional security, including border security, is one of the key
factors of European and international security, highlighted
participants to the works of an international conference dubbed
“Strategic planning of a regional border security drill”, organized
between 12-15 July in Bucharest by the George C. Marshall Centre, in
cooperation with the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), and the
US Department of Defence.
In the opening of the conference, State Minister for the Coordination
of National Defence, European Integration and Justice Ioan Talpes
underscored the importance of more effective international cooperation
within the post-11 September security context, with a view to fighting
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles and
risk-bearing materials.
Talpes highlighted Romania’s initiatives in the field, mentioning the
one taken on 20 May 2004 on the development of regional cooperation in
fighting trafficking in nuclear, biological and chemical materials, to
which Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and the Ukraine are
parties. State Minister Ioan Talpes also pointed out that of late the
cooperation in the Black Sea area has proved to be increasingly
important both for regional and for European and international
security.
Ambassador Mary Ann Peters, director associate for international
relations with George C Marshall European Centre said that
participants would try to find during this border security drill the
best solutions for cooperation between national and multinational
institutions to harmonize procedures in the field for a better
exchange of information and inter-agency cooperation. Safer borders is
one of the most important tasks for a country’s institutions, Mary Ann
Peters said, and at the close of the conference, participants will
have to seek to carry out the solutions found on this occasion.
In his turn, counsellor on terrorism fighting with the US Department
of Defence John Markley appreciated the SECI (Southeastern European
Cooperation Initiative) Regional Centre’s activity in fighting
crossborder crime, saying that at present attempts are made at
strengthening cooperation between SECI-member countries in legal
matters. Markley added that the SECI is a model of cooperation for
other countries in the area, with the GUAM project underway, including
Georgia, Uzbekistan, Armenia and the Republic of Moldova, seeking to
forge a similar partnership.
SECI Centre Director and conference host Yalcin Cakici underscored
that border security is one of the SECI’s main objectives within the
context of the institution’s concern over fighting human beings and
drug trafficking as well as international terrorism. In its four years
of activity, the SECI managed to carry out successful regional
initiatives, becoming part of an integrated European system fighting
crossborder crime and constantly benefiting from US support.
Director for international programmes on the non-proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction with the US Department of Defence Harlan
Strauss said that one of the conference’s main aims is to examine the
ways in which the benefits of the Black Sea area cooperation taking
the form of the Black Sea Cooperation Process can be used.
President of the George C. Marshall Association in Romania Doru
Frunzulica underscored Romania’s activity and efforts in solving
regional security issues, which also contributed to Romania’s
integration into NATO. Frunzulica appreciated that the Black Sea is
nowadays a linchpin for European security, while success in the area
can only be secured through the cooperation of the respective
countries.
The conference is part of an initiative recently launched in Romania
dwelling on regional cooperation on fighting the proliferation of
nuclear, biological, chemical and radioactive materials, with
representatives of national institutions holding positions in border
check, export control, national security and national defence in
member countries of the SECI Regional Committee on fighting
crossborder crime attending.