E. VENIZELOS: Dear friend, Secretary General of BSEC, Madam Minister, ladies and gentlemen, members of the Hellenic Parliament, members of the European Parliament, your excellences ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you for having responded to the invitation extended to you to be here today at the Zappeion Building to celebrate BSEC Day after 20 years of its operation. And my thanks here also to Ambassador Christides, because of course he was responsible for organizing the whole event, and he is also our presence in the Organization.
Now, alongside the celebration it is a pleasure for me to present here to you in this very symbolic location of Zappeion, which has hosted the EU Presidency of the past six months, the priorities of the Hellenic Chairmanship of BSEC, which will of course start on the 1st of July and will run for the second part of 2014, as a natural corollary and continuation of our Presidency of the European Union.
I would like to thank the Bulgarian Presidency of BSEC and I would like to personally thank my Bulgarian counterpart for his contribution and his invitation for us to meet last week in Varna. Varna, unfortunately, has been hit by floods, which were unprecedented, with human victims and much damage. And I must express here my full support to the Bulgarian people and our solidarity with the Bulgarian people and wish you all the best, and of course we are ready and prepared to offer you any help we can.
So, ladies and gentlemen, it is a point in time when we have an ever changing situation and when it is difficult to foresee the future, both in economic and social and even military terms, so regional cooperation constitutes one of the cornerstones of our economic progress, but also through economic cooperation, of course, we come to what we basically want to achieve, which is stability, peace and also political collaboration.
So, the Black Sea area of course is something which inspires us from way back in antiquity, and we of course have roots in Frixos and Elli’s Myth, the Argonauts who set sail for the Golden Fleece in present day Georgia, which was Colchis in ancient times. Now, it is in fact a hub point for transport and of course a 350 million market of emerging countries, so of course there is lively interest there, both regionally and internationally.
So, BSEC is a reflection of the views of people around the Black Sea, and after 20 or so years of operation, it is a mature body, which represents an area which can be a zone of development and opportunities. Despite the very difficult political problems, which I will not make mention of today, and despite the ongoing crisis in the broader region, the prospects for economic cooperation of course are very much with us and are even more important now, because they can contribute to a de-escalation of the crisis, and this of course may be made easier, after the economic agenda of BSEC upon the occasion of its 20th anniversary as an Organization, because now we have moved ahead with our cooperation even further, and I think that conditions are ripe now for us to perhaps take stock of actions so far, to evaluate them, to see what achievements have been made and to see what sort of corrective measures might be taken.
We did have the opportunity twice so far to speak with the Secretary General on these issues, and I know full well his willingness and preparedness with his international staff to work in that direction.
So, I do think that given that framework, we must have a pragmatic approach now, to be able to have tangible and specific objectives set to try and move ahead on productivity and production that lead to economic actions, and to perhaps enrich the technology and knowhow that will feed into the Organization and be translated into specific programs and actions, so that we can have a more entrepreneurial and effective result.
And of course, we are part of the larger family of the Black Sea here, because if you look through time, our commerce, our trade in the past and the operation of BSEC itself, we of course do have two very important units here linked to BSEC, which are the Bank for Trade and Development, in Thessaloniki, and of course we have created the Greek Development Fund in the Permanent Secretariat of the Organization to promote specific programs.
Now, today BSEC is at a vital juncture in looking at its economic operation, but trying to see whether, internationally, it could constitute a forum for effective cooperation for the broader region of the Black Sea as well. And it is also perhaps the right moment for us to step up BSEC and EU cooperation, because now we are looking at the fiscal framework of the European Union for 2014-2020, for that period. And of course we feel that substantial contributions have been made by the Commission, which is due to finish its mandate now.
And linking to the European Union, I feel that we could have synergies created with programs which would increase our range and of course the operational abilities of BSEC.
So, ladies and gentlemen, Greece of course will be taking up the BSEC chairmanship the day after it in fact finishes it successful, as people say, or as our partners say, a successful Greek Presidency of the European Union, helping to move out of the crisis through growth and creating jobs.
It is also important, it has been an important priority for us under the Hellenic Presidency, to promote a common migration policy, and also our contribution to e-governance, which is so important, and of course to promote what you will allow me to make special mention of: the General Affairs Council’s – and, shortly, the European Council’s – approval of the single strategy for maritime safety, and also the new policy for the Adriatic and Ionian macroregion, which of course is the natural maritime continuation of the Black Sea.
So, we also welcome the signing today in Brussels of the association agreements with three countries of BSEC: Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. And we also welcome the fact of a decision of the General Affairs Council that we have also given Albania candidate status. And these are very important steps that have been taken.
I think what is also important was the Intergovernmental Conference talks for Serbia to also accede to the EU, and promoting accession negotiations with Montenegro, by opening up new chapters. Three new chapters in fact were opened up at the Intergovernmental Conference which I chaired in Luxembourg, between the EU and Montenegro.
So I would just like to remind you that other countries in the area, such as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of course have the status of candidate country as of 2005, so this is something which should also be moved ahead with, so that we can now have a clear map of the Balkan area, with the Euroatlantic dimension.
Now, this is important, I think, to understand: the motto of our Chairmanship, “Building Support for Economic Cooperation”. And if you like, that is the acronym BSEC: building support for economic cooperation. So that is our motto under the Hellenic presidency of BSEC, in order to be able to have the best possible economic cooperation between all members.
And the emblem of our presidency is not the ship that you see up here. We are talking about the trireme of antiquity, which symbolizes our cooperation and collaboration, and of course was the disseminator of culture. Hermes, the messenger, is a learned individual.
And this will be the focus of our efforts:
• We want to make BSEC as an Organization the right sort of forum for economic cooperation with specific programs being implemented.
• Transfer of knowhow and technology, to be able in fact to establish the right sort of entrepreneurial dimension in BSEC and to manage programs in the permanent secretariat of BSEC.
• To make sure that we have the economic funds earmarked for these programs together with the EU member-states and with other funding organizations.
One of our more specific priorities as the Chairmanship of BSEC – at the various ministerial meetings that have been programed – is to look at crisis management and health issues, by creating a network of collaboration to also step up collaboration in terms of transport routes, whether by road or sea, which would be environmentally friendly, and to make use of those sea routes.
Now, our Minister for Tourism, Mrs Kefalogianni, will be talking about developing and promoting certain types of tourism – film tourism, gastronomical tourism – which will feed into new jobs being created for the broader area of the Black Sea.
Now, in conclusion, I would like just once again to extend my warmest thanks to the Secretary General, Ambassador, for your contribution and thank you for coming along, Mr Tvircun, and of course to wish you every success in the continuation of the work of the Permanent Secretariat.
I would like to thank all the related and affiliated bodies – the Parliamentary Assembly, and of course Greece will continue with its Chairmanship of that in the second semester, along with its Chairmanship of BSEC, so that we can have cohesion of the two chairmanships, with an added value from that, and of course also economizing. And there is also the Business Council of BSEC, the Bank for Trade and Development of the Black Sea. I thank them for their contributions to the progress of the Organization.
So I think that today is perhaps is the optimum moment to seek the support and contribution of us all here in terms of the priorities of the Hellenic presidency of BSEC for the next six months.
Thank you very much for being here with us and thank you for your attention.
V. TVIRCUN: Thank you very much, Your Excellency, Mr. Ambassador Christides.
Your Excellency, Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, Evangelos Venizelos, Your Excellency Olga Kefalogianni, Minister of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic, dear Ministers, Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Starting, let me express our thanks and deep appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic over your initiative in celebrating the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Day in Athens, commemorating the decision of the heads of state and governments of the BSEC member states, on 23 June 1992, to create the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation.
Twenty-two years later, the BSEC organisation, along with the related bodies, the Parliamentary Assembly and BSEC Business Council in Istanbul, the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank in Thessaloniki and the International Centre for Black Sea Studies in Athens have proved their usefulness and resilience in the changing political landscape and have continued to promote regional economic cooperation in a wide variety of sectors.
In a few days the Hellenic Republic will assume the rotating BSEC chairmanship in office, after the conclusion of its very productive EU presidency. We want to congratulate you, Your Excellency dear Deputy Prime Minister, on the success of the Hellenic EU presidency, welcome your BSEC chairmanship, and assure you of our support and assistance in your endeavours during the second semester of this year.
In the current period the activity of BSEC PERMIS is guided by four main objectives. First, we are proceeding with the establishment of a project management unit within the secretariat. The creation of this unit is a necessary step for closing the gap between the organisation’s focus on projects and its limited international project management capacities. The project management unit was also defined as an important tool for improving the organisation’s position in the competition for funding among donor and partner organisations for joint project activities.
The initiation of the project management unit’s activity during the Hellenic chairmanship will be a major development for BSEC.
Our second priority, a constant issue on our agenda, is to consolidate the activity of the BSEC working groups, which form the core of BSEC activity.
Third, we aim at increasing cooperation and interaction with the BSEC-related bodies, as a necessary step for enhancing the effectiveness and the visibility of our organisation. In this respect we want to help two important developments.
First, the synchronisation of the chairmanships in BSEC and in the Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC, allowing for relevant requests of the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova to the Hellenic Parliament. This important development will allow future chairmanships, starting with the Hellenic one, to schedule the implementation of their activities in a more efficient and economical way. It also implies a closer cooperation within their secretariats, and this is something we will need to streamline better.
Second, the initiation by the outgoing Bulgarian BSEC chairmanship of the updating of the modalities for BSEC-BSTDB interaction, as a result of the joint meeting of the BSEC Committee of Senior Officials and the Board of Directors of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank last March. We hope that the process will be continued and hopefully finalised during the chairmanship of Greece.
In this framework, we also want to welcome the initiative of the Hellenic chairmanship to include in the calendar of events a joint meeting of BSEC with the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Black Sea Studies; the first such meeting in the history of our organisation.
Our last objective during the current period, but certainly not the least, is increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the BSEC PERMIS. In this respect we are particularly focusing on the sustainability of the project development fund: the only existing financial instrument for developing BSEC projects. The successful experience and the valuable contribution of the BSEC Hellenic Development Fund to project development in BSEC should be taken into account and, we believe, emulated by other donor member states or third partners.
The informal meeting of the BSEC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, to be hosted by Greece in New York, in September, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, provides, I think, a good opportunity for exchanging views also on all these issues.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
In the imagined world landscape, international and in particular regional organisations are attributed an important role. They are each characterised by their own specificities, influenced by development in their respective regions, and guided by the will and the determination of their member states. BSEC, the oldest, most representative and institutionally mature regional economic organisation in the wide Black Sea area, has developed its own priorities, reflected in the BSEC Economic Agenda adopted in 2012.
We want to welcome the draft calendar of events of the Hellenic Republic, which reflects a strong willingness for promoting sectoral cooperation in BSEC, including by the hosting of high-level meetings in the area of transport, tourism and health.
During the previous semester, the BSEC PERMIS offered its good services in brokering a solution as to the tracing of the Black Sea Ring Highway, in consultation with the Joint Permanent Technical Secretariat – of this major Black Sea Economic Cooperation Project “Egnatia Odos.”
The initiative of the BSEC PERMIS resulted in the adoption of a common statement by the Ministers of Transport of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Romania, which we hope will help unblock the activity of the relevant steering committee.
In tourism, BSEC can present a number of important activities, including in the context of our evolving cooperation with the World Tourism Organisation. Greece, as one of the major world destinations, with their valuable experience and expertise on tourism, has always had a dynamic participation in BSEC activities in this field.
We had the opportunity to discuss this issue with Her Excellency, Minister Olga Kefalogianni, and I want to take this opportunity to assure Your Excellency and the Ministry of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic of our firm support for their priorities.
On health issues we equally had the possibility to discuss Greek priorities with the then Minister, Adonis Georgiadis, and we expect the same fruitful cooperation with the new Minister of Health, Mr. Makis Voridis.
In this context I want to particularly refer to the proposal of Greece to establish a network of experts for the regular exchange of information on issues of emergency preparedness and response to health threats. This proposal, which has gradually matured in the framework of the BSEC working group on health, was an initiative of the Greek National Health Operations Centre, and we hope that it will evolve into a successful BSEC project.
Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
This day, the 27th of June, is a significant date also for another reason. Today the three Black Sea countries and BSEC member states, namely Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, are expected to sign the association agreement with the European Union.
Earlier this very week, Albania was also given the status of candidate to the European Union. As a Moldovan, I feel particularly touched by these long-awaited developments, which form important landmarks in the process of European integration and more generally in the process of achieving economic prosperity and ensuring stability on the European continent.
Greece played an important role in these developments, starting with the adoption of the 2014 Strategy for the Western Balkans back in 2004, and leading to the latest various steps of negotiation during its current EU presidency.
Also within our organisation, Greece plays a central role in promoting BSEC-EU interaction, together with the Republics of Bulgaria and Romania, the two other EU BSEC member states. It is to be remebered that in 2005 Greece was given a special mandate by the BSEC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs for promoting the BSEC-EU relationship.
The ICBSS BSEC-related body, with the support of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is also mandated by the BSEC Charter to study practical ways for widening and deepening BSEC-EU cooperation.
The objective is to give practical content to this cooperation, to go beyond the existing enhanced dialogue with the EU, in order to explore the possibilities for concrete cooperation in the context of the increasing attention of the EU on the wider Black Sea area and putting into profit BSEC’s unique experience, and promoting regional economic cooperation.
With this view, we are scheduling a BSEC-COEST meeting in December. We have intensified our contact with Brussels at the experts level; we share our experience and explore ideas for common activities, for example in the field of environmental protection, science and technology, information and communication technologies, culture and education, small and medium-sized enterprises and agriculture.
In particular in the area of maritime affairs, following my meeting with the European Commissioner, Her Excellency Maria Damanaki, this year, we are discussing the possibilities for joint activities and efficient maritime transport, green energy and sea tourism.
In the same context, we are counting a lot on Greece’s support and concrete initiatives in a streamlined BSEC-EU cooperation, and helping foster practical, flexible and results-oriented cooperation between BSEC and the EU, with both parties and all BSEC member states.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, let me once more welcome the projected initiatives and activities of the Hellenic chairmanship in all areas of BSEC activity, and allow me to comment, especially, on the practical approach you adopted and your sense of the continuity and correlation with the efforts of the previous, Bulgarian chairmanship.
The fact that Greece will simultaneously head BSEC, the BSEC Parliamentary Assembly and the BSEC Business Council provides ample opportunity for ensuring better synergies and increasing visibility for BSEC and for achieving concrete results in all areas of cooperation.
Concluding, let me congratulate you again on the successful conclusion of your EU presidency, and wish you good work and positive results on your BSEC chairmanship.
Thank you very much.
June 27, 2014