The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) began in 1992 as an informal forum for peaceful dialogue between countries in a region that had just emerged from the Cold War – countries with a common historical experience, as neighbors in the wider Black Sea region.
By 1999 – by virtue of the partners’ common vision – it had quickly evolved into a key regional cooperation platform. And it has since proven its effectiveness not only for promoting development in sectors from transport and trade to energy and investment, but also for strengthening relations between the member states and their peoples, and consolidating peace and stability throughout the region.
During the past 21 years, the wider Black Sea region has undergone far-reaching economic and political changes. We have seen development and grow, we have weathered economic storms. And BSEC has provided and continues to provide a context for our joint efforts to bring prosperity to the region’s peoples.
As one of the founding members of BSEC and as a regional partner with longstanding, friendly ties with the countries and peoples of the region, the Hellenic Republic has proven its commitment to the Organization’s vision, consistently supporting its initiatives and hosting both the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, in Thessaloniki, and the International Centre for Black Sea Studies, in Athens.
The Hellenic Republic shares its partners’ ambitions for BSEC: to continue to use the tools for cooperation that we have created to promote the development of new opportunities for entrepreneurship and investment in our region. Our two-fold priority is to safeguard the BSEC’s achievements so far, and to take those achievements even further, to the member states’ shared, mutual benefit.
I wish all of us – the BSEC member states – continued success in our joint endeavors to promote growth, stability, peace and prosperity throughout our region and for all the region’s peoples.
June 24, 2013