Asaf Hajiyev

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61st Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly, 4-5 May 2023

The 61st Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly was held in Ankara, on 4-5 May 2023, upon the invitation of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.

Parliamentary delegations from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine, took part in the work of the General Assembly. Representatives of the Permanent International Secretariat of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS), the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB), the Union of Road Transport Associations of the BSEC Member States (BSEC-URTA), took part in the work of the General Assembly. Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Cooperation Process in South-Eastern Europe (SEESP PA), the Parliamentary Union of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (PUIC), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia (PAUBR), the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (IPA CIS), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic States (TURKPA), also took part in the work of the General Assembly, as observers. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean and the Marmara Group Foundation for Strategic and Social Research, took part in the work of the General Assembly, as guests.

H.E. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Sentop, PABSEC President, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, addressed the Opening of the Summit. The message of Mr. Ivica Dacic, BSEC Chairman-in-Office, First Vice-Premier in charge of Foreign Policy and Security, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, was presented. Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, also addressed the participants in the Assembly meeting.

The Assembly approved the Progress Report and the Minutes of the Sixtieth Plenary Session and ratified the credentials of the new members of the Assembly, from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine.

The Assembly took note of the information on the activities of the BSEC Organization, presented by Ambassador Lazar Comanescu, Secretary General of the Permanent International Secretariat of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC PERMIS). Representatives of the BSEC Related Bodies, of the parliamentary assemblies, and international organizations, addressed the Plenary Session.

The Assembly elected Mr. Babken Tunyan, Head of the PABSEC Armenian Delegation, and Ms. Mariana Cusnir, Head of the PABSEC Moldovan Delegation, as PABSEC Vice-Presidents, for the term of two years and elected Mr. Petar Kanev, Head of the PABSEC Bulgarian Delegation, to the post of PABSEC Vice-President in charge of Financial Affairs, for the term of two years. The Assembly also elected Mr. Cemal Ozturk, Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, to the post of Deputy Secretary General in charge of Organizational Matters, for a term of three years.

The Assembly held a general debate on “The Role of Parliamentary Diplomacy in changing global Dynamics: Development, Peace, Stability”, also adopting the following: Report and Recommendation 188/2023 "Space technologies in the BSEC Member States: National Policy and Developments", within the framework of the Technological and Environmental Affairs Committee; Report and Recommendation 189/2023 "The Role of Parliaments in Enhancing Economic Security in the BSEC Member States", within the Legal and Political Affairs Committee; Report and Recommendation 190/2023 "The Role of Mass Media in the Socio-Economic Development of the BSEC Member States", within the framework of the Cultural, Educational and Social Affairs Committee; Report and Recommendation 191/2023 "The Role of Parliaments in Enhancing Energy Security in the BSEC Member States", within the Economic, Commercial and Financial Affairs Committee.

The Assembly took the decision to grant, the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Observer status to the PABSEC.

The Assembly approved the execution of the 2022 Budget, decided to finalize the draft 2024 Budget, within the framework of the meeting of the new Draft Budget and Auditing Commission, composed of the representatives of Romania, Russia and Serbia, and also to submit this draft to the next 62nd General Assembly, in November 2023.

At the end of the Plenary Session, the PABSEC Presidency was transferred to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.