A Meeting of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Foreign Ministers will take place in Thessaloniki tomorrow, Friday, 26 November. This Ministerial is the culminating event of the Greek BSEC Chairmanship, which began on 1 June 2010. Greece will hand the Chairmanship on to Romania at this Ministerial.
Foreign Minister Droutsas and Deputy Foreign Minster Kouvelis will give welcoming speeches at the opening ceremony (10:00) at the Grand Hotel Palace. In the afternoon, following the handing over of the Chairmanship to Romania, there will be a press conference (14:45-15:00), followed by a luncheon hosted by Mr. Droutsas in honor of the participating Foreign Ministers.
On the margins of the Ministerial, Mr. Droutsas will have one-on-one meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Romania and Serbia.
The Thessaloniki Ministerial will culminate in a Joint Statement from all the Ministers, acknowledging that the Black Sea region is vulnerable to climate change and that all the member states agree to make joint efforts to confront this problem, with emphasis on plans for sustainable development, prevention of natural disasters and promotion of innovative and green enterprises. Greece will submit this Statement, on behalf of the BSEC and its member states, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Mexico next month.
The Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) will be holding a Business Forum on the margins of the Thessaloniki Ministerial, focussing on various aspects of green development and entrepreneurship. This Forum will be attended by members of the business communities of all the BSEC member states, and will focus on:
a. new opportunities offered by investments in renewable energy sources,
b. the BSEC financial market and the potential for “green” investments,
c. the revitalization of the construction sector through environmentally friendly materials, and
d. the role of research and innovation in the Black Sea region.
November 29, 2010