ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINSTER THINKS THAT BSEC FAILS TO PROVE ITS WORTH
ArmInfo
2007-06-26 21:54:00
If over the past 15 years, we could have ascribed our occasional
hesitation to certain of our own quarrels and interests and alliances,
today we see that by allowing ourselves to be led by our differences,
we limit this organization’s capacity to make itself felt in world
politics, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said in his speech
during the summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization
(BSEC).
The press-service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told ArmInfo
that in his speech V.Oskanian also touched upon the BSEC-EU
relations. "Broadening interaction between BSEC and the EU is a
measure of our maturity and one of our significant outputs. As the
EU considers the benefits of a Black Sea Dimension for economic,
social, environmental and energy cooperation, and as BSEC works
to enhance its interaction with the EU, we around the Black Sea,
have much to learn from those around the Mediterranean, Adriatic,
Baltic and North seas. Our need for deeper relations is not limited
to the structural, technical and institutional expertise in the EU
space. Rather we stand to benefit from the European ability to create
a bond between human beings that transcends older boundaries and
makes out of these new institutional forms something that really is a
community. We also have much to learn from Europe in trying to find
new solutions to old problems. BSEC could have, should have, aided
in creating an environment conducive to resolving conflicts in our
region. Resolutions are only possible through compromise, compromise
requires reciprocal trust between peoples, and cooperation is the
obvious and proven way to inculcate such trust. Rejecting cooperation
is a symptom of a misplaced desire to find one-sided solutions; this
is unrealistic. The era of one-sided solutions is over," V.Oskanian
noted. BSEC members are 11 countries of the Black Sea region: Albania,
Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Moldavia, Russia, Romania, Turkey,
Ukraine and Azerbaijan. BSEC focuses on closer economic cooperation of
the member states, free movement of commodities, capitals, services,
labor force and integration of these countries’ economies into the
international economic system. The Organization was founded in 1992,
its headquarters is in Istanbul.