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Romania Hosts Conference on Black Sea Regional Security

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  • Romania Hosts Conference on Black Sea Regional Security

    ROMANIA HOSTS CONFERENCE ON BLACK SEA REGIONAL SECURITY

    Rompres news agency
    12 Jul 04


    Bucharest, 12 July: Cooperation of countries in the Black Sea area on
    regional security, including border security, is one of the key
    factors of European and international security, highlighted
    participants to the works of an international conference dubbed
    "Strategic planning of a regional border security drill", organized
    between 12-15 July in Bucharest by the George C. Marshall Centre, in
    cooperation with the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE), and the
    US Department of Defence.

    In the opening of the conference, State Minister for the Coordination
    of National Defence, European Integration and Justice Ioan Talpes
    underscored the importance of more effective international cooperation
    within the post-11 September security context, with a view to fighting
    proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles and
    risk-bearing materials.

    Talpes highlighted Romania's initiatives in the field, mentioning the
    one taken on 20 May 2004 on the development of regional cooperation in
    fighting trafficking in nuclear, biological and chemical materials, to
    which Bulgaria, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and the Ukraine are
    parties. State Minister Ioan Talpes also pointed out that of late the
    cooperation in the Black Sea area has proved to be increasingly
    important both for regional and for European and international
    security.

    Ambassador Mary Ann Peters, director associate for international
    relations with George C Marshall European Centre said that
    participants would try to find during this border security drill the
    best solutions for cooperation between national and multinational
    institutions to harmonize procedures in the field for a better
    exchange of information and inter-agency cooperation. Safer borders is
    one of the most important tasks for a country's institutions, Mary Ann
    Peters said, and at the close of the conference, participants will
    have to seek to carry out the solutions found on this occasion.

    In his turn, counsellor on terrorism fighting with the US Department
    of Defence John Markley appreciated the SECI (Southeastern European
    Cooperation Initiative) Regional Centre's activity in fighting
    crossborder crime, saying that at present attempts are made at
    strengthening cooperation between SECI-member countries in legal
    matters. Markley added that the SECI is a model of cooperation for
    other countries in the area, with the GUAM project underway, including
    Georgia, Uzbekistan, Armenia and the Republic of Moldova, seeking to
    forge a similar partnership.

    SECI Centre Director and conference host Yalcin Cakici underscored
    that border security is one of the SECI's main objectives within the
    context of the institution's concern over fighting human beings and
    drug trafficking as well as international terrorism. In its four years
    of activity, the SECI managed to carry out successful regional
    initiatives, becoming part of an integrated European system fighting
    crossborder crime and constantly benefiting from US support.

    Director for international programmes on the non-proliferation of
    weapons of mass destruction with the US Department of Defence Harlan
    Strauss said that one of the conference's main aims is to examine the
    ways in which the benefits of the Black Sea area cooperation taking
    the form of the Black Sea Cooperation Process can be used.

    President of the George C. Marshall Association in Romania Doru
    Frunzulica underscored Romania's activity and efforts in solving
    regional security issues, which also contributed to Romania's
    integration into NATO. Frunzulica appreciated that the Black Sea is
    nowadays a linchpin for European security, while success in the area
    can only be secured through the cooperation of the respective
    countries.

    The conference is part of an initiative recently launched in Romania
    dwelling on regional cooperation on fighting the proliferation of
    nuclear, biological, chemical and radioactive materials, with
    representatives of national institutions holding positions in border
    check, export control, national security and national defence in
    member countries of the SECI Regional Committee on fighting
    crossborder crime attending.
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