Azerbaijan's deputy FM: BSEC needs deep reforms

It is necessary to carry out thorough legal and institutional reforms in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammadguliyev said at the twenty-third meeting of the BSEC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) this week in Greece.

"It is needed to improve the decision-making mechanism, as well as to concentrate cooperation within the organization around specific projects and priority spheres," Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry quoted Mammadguliyev as saying.

He stressed that the prospects of the BSEC are high and Azerbaijan's expectations from this organization are also high. He added that it is important to increase the organization's fruitfulness and effectiveness.

According to Mammadguliyev, if frozen conflicts preventing economic cooperation within the organization are not resolved and stability is not ensured in the region, full cooperation will not be established.

During the event, Mammadguliyev also met with his Greek counterpart. The sides discussed cooperation between the two countries in the format of bilateral relations and within international organizations.

The BSEC was founded in 1998 and includes Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Another 13 countries, including Austria, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Israel, Poland, the United States and France have observer status.


/Trend/