Tweet
ROMANIA: THE BLACK SEA REGION, CAN BECOME ECONOMIC CENTER
Reporter, Greece
June 6 2006
10:07 - 06 June 2006 - "The Black Sea area has the chance to become
an attractive partner for the main economic power centres, insofar
as it proves able to turn from a source of problems into a generator
of solutions in European and global context," stressed President
Traian Basescu at the opening of the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and
Partnership held yesterday in Bucharest at the initiative of Romania,
Nine o'Clock reports.
On this line, the head of the Romanian state recalled that in the
period 2000-2005 the annual rate of economic growth of the countries
from the region was in the average of 5.9 per cent, placing the
Black Sea area among the most dynamic ones at global level, in the
conditions of a satisfactory macroeconomic stabilization.
"We are the best to know our problems, our difficulties, the flaws
inherited from a complicate past, but also the creative energies, the
entrepreneurial spirit, and the real potential of dynamic development,"
pointed out President Basescu.
The head of the Romanian state appreciated the attention granted by
US to the regional problems of the Black Sea through the announcement
regarding the setting up of the Black Sea Fund.
He also mentioned that Romania greets and supports the current
approaches of the European Union to elaborate a Black Sea dimension
of the Regional policy of the EU.
On another hand, Traian Basescu stressed the fact that no process of
cooperation in this region can be complete without the substantial
contribution of Russia.
"We expect the Russian Federation to answer the interest showed by us,
considering the generous resources that it has in multiple domains,"
said the head of the Romanian state.
The Russian Federation has not paid importance to this event, and was
represented at the Forum only by the Russian Ambassador to Romania,
Aleksandr Tolkaci.
Asked if the Romanian initiative is good, the Russian diplomat said
that "it is good, but there were probably too many initiatives,"
adding that the position of Moscow towards the organisation of this
Forum can be found on the site of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Negotiations in Bucharest
President Traian Basescu thanked yesterday his Armenian and Azeri
counterparts - Robert Kocearian and Ilham Aliyev - for choosing
Bucharest for a new round of negotiations over the conflict from
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Previously, the Armenian President had said that his country is willing
"to continue the dialogue with Azerbaijan, for the settlement of
the conflict."
In his turn, Ilham Aliyev cautioned that, according to several UN
resolutions, Armenia is an occupying country in Azerbaijan, and the
principle of self-determination, that had been previously invoked
by Kocearian, does not apply to the different Armenian communities
outside the borders of Armenia.
The conflict from Nagorno-Karabakh is one of the so-called "frozen
conflicts" in the Black Sea area, and the successive attempts to
settle this crisis have been unsuccessful so far.
American funding
The setting up of a Black Sea Fund to be used for the financing of
the regional projects is the first concrete initiative of this Forum
announced yesterday by the American representative, J.D. Crouch,
deputy National Security Adviser to the U.S. President and former
Ambassador of the United States to Romania.
He stressed that the US are seeking additional methods to intensify
the cooperation in the Black Sea region and, in this framework, they
"intend to participate to a public-private partnership represented
by the Black Sea Fund," to which it will have a significant financial
contribution.
The Fund, set up after the model of the Balkan Trust for Democracy,
will be effectively launched next autumn, and will start from a budget
of USD 20 M, declared yesterday for Mediafax the Vice-President of
the German Marshall Fund, Phillip Henderson.
The initiative of this Fund belongs to the American organisation,
according to Henderson.
The Fund will finance the organisations from the region - civic
groups, NGOs, local and regional administration, institutions from the
domain of education and media organisations from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Tariceanu pleads for investments in infrastructure
In his turn, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu evoked the need to improve
the road, rail and maritime infrastructure from the Black Sea area,
which is in a critical situation.
The head of the Executive also estimated that the networks of oil
and gas pipes for the transport of oil by means of big-tonnage ships
towards Western Europe need important investments.
Other themes that are the subject of a dialogue between the states
from the Black Sea area are the creation of a system of information
and support between the riparian countries in case of disasters,
and the regional security.
"Reality shows how important are the regional cooperation, information
and help in emergencies determined by the environmental conditions,
the climatic changes, the sanitary protection situations, intervention
in cases of naval urgencies or pollution.
On another hand, it is necessary to agree over joint missions for
the consolidation of control at the borders, regional programmes to
render professional the customs services that have to be entirely
cleared of the risk of corruption, combating the trafficking of arms,
persons and drugs.
The time has come to act together for the clearing of the business
environment at regional level and leave aside the simple rhetoric
about the Black Sea as a hospitable sea," said Tariceanu.
100 pc romanian initiative
At the end of the meeting the participants adopted the Joint
Declaration of the Black Sea Forum.
Traian Basescu had proposed a few years ago the setting up of this
Forum, driven by the wish to have a non-institutionalized and flexible
framework of political dialogue between the riparian countries, in
order to discuss about the identity of the Black Sea region and its
future, about the interests and the objectives that the countries
from this region propose for themselves.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
were represented at the top, by the Presidents of these countries,
while Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Turkey by the Foreign Affairs
Ministers or other members of the Governments of these countries.
The proceedings of the Summit were attended also by important officials
from NATO, OSCE, the Council of Europe, UN, and the Stability Pact
for South-East Europe.
For the organisation of this event, the Government allotted EUR
700,000 from the budgetary reserve fund.
Reporter, Greece
June 6 2006
10:07 - 06 June 2006 - "The Black Sea area has the chance to become
an attractive partner for the main economic power centres, insofar
as it proves able to turn from a source of problems into a generator
of solutions in European and global context," stressed President
Traian Basescu at the opening of the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and
Partnership held yesterday in Bucharest at the initiative of Romania,
Nine o'Clock reports.
On this line, the head of the Romanian state recalled that in the
period 2000-2005 the annual rate of economic growth of the countries
from the region was in the average of 5.9 per cent, placing the
Black Sea area among the most dynamic ones at global level, in the
conditions of a satisfactory macroeconomic stabilization.
"We are the best to know our problems, our difficulties, the flaws
inherited from a complicate past, but also the creative energies, the
entrepreneurial spirit, and the real potential of dynamic development,"
pointed out President Basescu.
The head of the Romanian state appreciated the attention granted by
US to the regional problems of the Black Sea through the announcement
regarding the setting up of the Black Sea Fund.
He also mentioned that Romania greets and supports the current
approaches of the European Union to elaborate a Black Sea dimension
of the Regional policy of the EU.
On another hand, Traian Basescu stressed the fact that no process of
cooperation in this region can be complete without the substantial
contribution of Russia.
"We expect the Russian Federation to answer the interest showed by us,
considering the generous resources that it has in multiple domains,"
said the head of the Romanian state.
The Russian Federation has not paid importance to this event, and was
represented at the Forum only by the Russian Ambassador to Romania,
Aleksandr Tolkaci.
Asked if the Romanian initiative is good, the Russian diplomat said
that "it is good, but there were probably too many initiatives,"
adding that the position of Moscow towards the organisation of this
Forum can be found on the site of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Negotiations in Bucharest
President Traian Basescu thanked yesterday his Armenian and Azeri
counterparts - Robert Kocearian and Ilham Aliyev - for choosing
Bucharest for a new round of negotiations over the conflict from
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Previously, the Armenian President had said that his country is willing
"to continue the dialogue with Azerbaijan, for the settlement of
the conflict."
In his turn, Ilham Aliyev cautioned that, according to several UN
resolutions, Armenia is an occupying country in Azerbaijan, and the
principle of self-determination, that had been previously invoked
by Kocearian, does not apply to the different Armenian communities
outside the borders of Armenia.
The conflict from Nagorno-Karabakh is one of the so-called "frozen
conflicts" in the Black Sea area, and the successive attempts to
settle this crisis have been unsuccessful so far.
American funding
The setting up of a Black Sea Fund to be used for the financing of
the regional projects is the first concrete initiative of this Forum
announced yesterday by the American representative, J.D. Crouch,
deputy National Security Adviser to the U.S. President and former
Ambassador of the United States to Romania.
He stressed that the US are seeking additional methods to intensify
the cooperation in the Black Sea region and, in this framework, they
"intend to participate to a public-private partnership represented
by the Black Sea Fund," to which it will have a significant financial
contribution.
The Fund, set up after the model of the Balkan Trust for Democracy,
will be effectively launched next autumn, and will start from a budget
of USD 20 M, declared yesterday for Mediafax the Vice-President of
the German Marshall Fund, Phillip Henderson.
The initiative of this Fund belongs to the American organisation,
according to Henderson.
The Fund will finance the organisations from the region - civic
groups, NGOs, local and regional administration, institutions from the
domain of education and media organisations from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Tariceanu pleads for investments in infrastructure
In his turn, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu evoked the need to improve
the road, rail and maritime infrastructure from the Black Sea area,
which is in a critical situation.
The head of the Executive also estimated that the networks of oil
and gas pipes for the transport of oil by means of big-tonnage ships
towards Western Europe need important investments.
Other themes that are the subject of a dialogue between the states
from the Black Sea area are the creation of a system of information
and support between the riparian countries in case of disasters,
and the regional security.
"Reality shows how important are the regional cooperation, information
and help in emergencies determined by the environmental conditions,
the climatic changes, the sanitary protection situations, intervention
in cases of naval urgencies or pollution.
On another hand, it is necessary to agree over joint missions for
the consolidation of control at the borders, regional programmes to
render professional the customs services that have to be entirely
cleared of the risk of corruption, combating the trafficking of arms,
persons and drugs.
The time has come to act together for the clearing of the business
environment at regional level and leave aside the simple rhetoric
about the Black Sea as a hospitable sea," said Tariceanu.
100 pc romanian initiative
At the end of the meeting the participants adopted the Joint
Declaration of the Black Sea Forum.
Traian Basescu had proposed a few years ago the setting up of this
Forum, driven by the wish to have a non-institutionalized and flexible
framework of political dialogue between the riparian countries, in
order to discuss about the identity of the Black Sea region and its
future, about the interests and the objectives that the countries
from this region propose for themselves.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine
were represented at the top, by the Presidents of these countries,
while Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania and Turkey by the Foreign Affairs
Ministers or other members of the Governments of these countries.
The proceedings of the Summit were attended also by important officials
from NATO, OSCE, the Council of Europe, UN, and the Stability Pact
for South-East Europe.
For the organisation of this event, the Government allotted EUR
700,000 from the budgetary reserve fund.