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Presidents Participating In Black Sea Summit
Caucaz, Georgia
June 5 2006
Romania: Presidents Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, Mikhail Saakashvili
of Georgia, Robert Kocharian of Armenia, Vladimir Voronin of Moldova
and Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan to participe in the Black Sea summit
Bucharest, 5 June 2006 (AP - website) - Leaders of Black Sea countries
met on Monday in Bucharest for "The Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and
Partnership", aimed at combatting the region's drug - and people-
smuggling networks, finding ways of tackling pollution and discussing
alternative energy routes.
"Putting the Black Sea on the map is a challenge in itself," Romanian
Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu said in opening the summit,
adding that "We want a new vision to reflect new realities."
The Black Sea is facing "new threats caused by criminality and
terrorism and we are called to manage this and improve it," said
Romanian President Traian Basescu. "We know our problems ... they
are problems inherited from a difficult past but there is the real
potential for development," said Basescu, adding that Black Sea
countries' economies grew by an average of 5.9 percent last year.
The main topics on the summit's agenda would be environment protection,
regional cooperation, joint energy projects, combatting cross-border
crime and improving infrastructure.
Among those attending were Presidents Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine,
Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia, Robert Kocharian of Armenia,
Vladimir Voronin of Moldova and Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan, as well as
officials from Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece and Lithuania. Top officials
from NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
the United Nations and the Council of Europe were also attending the
summit. Russia declined to send a high-level official to the summit
but requested observer status.
In his speech, Basescu called on Russia to take part in the future
development of the region. "Romania considers that a regional
cooperation process cannot take place without Russia," he said,
pointing to the "rich social, political and economic resources," that
Russia has. Russia is being represented by its ambassador to Romania,
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Corina Vintan said.
Kocharian and Aliev were expected to discuss the status of
Nagorno-Karabakh on the sidelines of the summit. Talks between the two
leaders in France in February ended in failure, despite international
mediators' efforts to push the leaders to resolve the enclave's
status. Nagorno-Karabakh is inside Azerbaijan but populated mostly
by ethnic Armenians, who have run it since an uneasy 1994 cease-fire
ended six years of full-scale war. Sporadic border clashes have grown
more frequent since the breakdown of talks. The lack of resolution
has hindered development throughout the strategic region.
On Sunday, Romanian President Traian Basescu met separately with
Kocharian and Aliev to discuss ways to reach a settlement for
Nagorno-Karabakh, Basescu's office said in a statement.
Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and Georgia directly border
the Black Sea, which is one of the world's most polluted seas.
Its only outlet is via Turkey's Bosphorus Straits.
Caucaz, Georgia
June 5 2006
Romania: Presidents Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine, Mikhail Saakashvili
of Georgia, Robert Kocharian of Armenia, Vladimir Voronin of Moldova
and Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan to participe in the Black Sea summit
Bucharest, 5 June 2006 (AP - website) - Leaders of Black Sea countries
met on Monday in Bucharest for "The Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and
Partnership", aimed at combatting the region's drug - and people-
smuggling networks, finding ways of tackling pollution and discussing
alternative energy routes.
"Putting the Black Sea on the map is a challenge in itself," Romanian
Foreign Minister Mihai Razvan Ungureanu said in opening the summit,
adding that "We want a new vision to reflect new realities."
The Black Sea is facing "new threats caused by criminality and
terrorism and we are called to manage this and improve it," said
Romanian President Traian Basescu. "We know our problems ... they
are problems inherited from a difficult past but there is the real
potential for development," said Basescu, adding that Black Sea
countries' economies grew by an average of 5.9 percent last year.
The main topics on the summit's agenda would be environment protection,
regional cooperation, joint energy projects, combatting cross-border
crime and improving infrastructure.
Among those attending were Presidents Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine,
Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia, Robert Kocharian of Armenia,
Vladimir Voronin of Moldova and Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan, as well as
officials from Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece and Lithuania. Top officials
from NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
the United Nations and the Council of Europe were also attending the
summit. Russia declined to send a high-level official to the summit
but requested observer status.
In his speech, Basescu called on Russia to take part in the future
development of the region. "Romania considers that a regional
cooperation process cannot take place without Russia," he said,
pointing to the "rich social, political and economic resources," that
Russia has. Russia is being represented by its ambassador to Romania,
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Corina Vintan said.
Kocharian and Aliev were expected to discuss the status of
Nagorno-Karabakh on the sidelines of the summit. Talks between the two
leaders in France in February ended in failure, despite international
mediators' efforts to push the leaders to resolve the enclave's
status. Nagorno-Karabakh is inside Azerbaijan but populated mostly
by ethnic Armenians, who have run it since an uneasy 1994 cease-fire
ended six years of full-scale war. Sporadic border clashes have grown
more frequent since the breakdown of talks. The lack of resolution
has hindered development throughout the strategic region.
On Sunday, Romanian President Traian Basescu met separately with
Kocharian and Aliev to discuss ways to reach a settlement for
Nagorno-Karabakh, Basescu's office said in a statement.
Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and Georgia directly border
the Black Sea, which is one of the world's most polluted seas.
Its only outlet is via Turkey's Bosphorus Straits.