Asaf Hajiyev

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63rd Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly, Tirana, 14-15 May 2024

The 63rd Plenary Session of the PABSEC General Assembly was held in Tirana on 14-15 May 2024 upon the invitation of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania.

Parliamentary delegations from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, the Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine took part in the 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), and Special PABSEC Representatives took part in the work of the General Assembly. A representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic States (TURKPA) took part in the work of the General Assembly as an observer. Representatives of the Marmara Group Foundation for Strategic and Social Research took part in the work of the General Assembly as guests.

The Opening ceremony was addressed by Ms. Lindita Nikolla, PABSEC President, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania, and Mr. Igli Hasani, BSEC Chairman in Office, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania. Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, also addressed the Assembly. At the end of the Opening Ceremony following PABSEC members were awarded the PABSEC Commemorative Medals: Mr. Petro Koci, PABSEC Vice-President, Head of PABSEC Albanian Delegation, Mr. Ramaz Nikolaishvili, PABSEC Vice-President, Member of PABSEC Georgian Delegation, Mr. Igor Becic, Head of the PABSEC Serbian Delegation, Ms. Anna Purtova, Head of PABSEC Ukrainian Delegation.

The Assembly approved the Progress Report of the Assembly and the Minutes of the Sixty-Second Plenary Session, ratified the credentials of the new members of the Assembly from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia 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 Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS). Representatives of the BSEC Related Bodies, parliamentary assemblies and international organizations addressed the Plenary Session.

The Assembly elected Ms. Valentina Antoaneta Cobzareanu from Romania to the post of Deputy Secretary General in Charge of Administrative and Financial Affairs, and Mr. Borys Kolesnychenko from Ukraine to the post of Deputy Secretary General in charge of Interparliamentary Cooperation and Protocol for a term of three years. It was also decided to redistribute positions between Deputies Secretary General from 1 March 2025.

The Assembly had a General Debate on “Strengthening Regional Economic Cooperation to Enhance Encountering Common Security Challenges”. The Assembly adopted Report and Recommendation 196/2024 “Cooperation among the BSEC Member States in Energy Trading” within the framework of the Committee on Economic and Development Policy; Report and Recommendation 197/2024 “The Role of Parliaments in Promoting Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance in the Fight against Hate Speech” within the framework of the Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation; Report and Recommendation 198/2024 “Investing in Human Capital for Innovation and Prosperity in the BSEC Region” within the framework of the Committee on Social and Humanitarian Policy.

The Assembly approved the Auditing Report for 2023, and adopted a Decision on the plan for holding committee meetings in 2025 and 2026.

At the end of the Plenary Session, the PABSEC Presidency passed to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The next General Assembly will take place in Yerevan in November 2024.