Asaf Hajiyev

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Summit of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the BSEC Member States, 16 May 2018, Istanbul

Upon the invitation of H.E. Mr. İsmail KAHRAMAN, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the Summit of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the BSEC Member States was held in Istanbul, on 16 May 2018, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).

H.E. Mr. Gramoz RUÇI, PABSEC President and Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania, H.E. Mr. İsmail KAHRAMAN, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and Mr. Asaf HAJIYEV, PABSEC Secretary General addressed the gathering at the Opening Ceremony.

The Summit was attended by the Speakers: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and the Heads of the PABSEC National Delegations of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine.

The Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS), the President and the Secretary General of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) and the PABSEC Special Representative to the GOPAC, also took part in the Summit.

At the Opening Ceremony, there was a presentation concerning the most important current and future projects in the BSEC Region.

The participants delivered their statements on the main topic of the meeting: “The 25th Years of the PABSEC: The Role of the Parliaments in Shaping the Future of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation” and adopted the Joint Statement dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of the PABSEC.

There was an exchange of views and ideas regarding the prospects for further strengthening the cooperation and enlarging the scope of the activities among the parliaments of the Black Sea Region. It was underlined that the increase of cooperation and the good neighbourly relations are a necessary condition to achieve peace, stability, prosperity and the solution of the topical problems in the Region, Europe and beyond. Regarding the subject of the meeting, the participants underlined that it could not have been better timed, since the world of today is interconnected more than ever, facing such complex challenges as poverty and increased inequality, migration, sustainable development, the advance of science and technology, etc.

The participants welcomed the efforts to provide further evidence of the ongoing role of the parliaments to ensure a better communication, more coherence and a more effective cooperation at the national, regional and global levels as well as a better, safer and more prosperous life for all citizens. It was underlined that promoting interaction among the business communities of the BSEC Member States and facilitating public private partnership, represents a key priority in the BSEC Region.

It was recognised that the BSEC Region is facing threats that must be tackled, such as corruption, organized crime, terrorism and violent extremism. Therefore, it was emphasized that efficient and continuous cooperation among the national parliaments of the PABSEC, constitutes a powerful means for increasing the effectiveness of the Assembly.

The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey expressed opinion regarding the current situation in the Middle East.

Following the speeches, the present Speakers of the Parliaments of the BSEC Member States were awarded with the PABSEC Medal of Honour: H.E. Mr. Gramoz RUÇI, PABSEC President and Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania, H.E. Mr. Ismail KAHRAMAN, the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey, H.E.Mr. Ogtay ASADOV, Chairman of the Milli Mejlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Ms. Tsveta KARAYANCHEVA, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Mr. Irakli KOBAKHIDZE, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, H.E. Mr. Nikolaos VOUTSIS, President of the Hellenic Parliament, H.E. Mr. Andrian CANDU, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, H.E. Mr. Călin POPESCU-TĂRICEANU, President of the Senate of Romania and H.E. Mrs. Maja GOJKOVIĆ, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

H. E. Mr. Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN, President of the Republic of Turkey, was awarded with the PABSEC Medal of Honour in recognition and appreciation for his constant and active involvement to the accomplishment of the PABSEC goals and objectives.

The participants congratulated the Member States Parliaments of the PABSEC, on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Assembly and thanked the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey for his initiative to host this important meeting.

At the end of the Summit, took place the Signing Ceremony of the PABSEC Commemorative Stamp dedicated to its 25th Anniversary.