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INTERVIEW OF MR. GEGHAM GHARIBJANIAN, DEPUTY MINISTER...
Azat Artsakh Daily,
25 June 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
- What do you think is a true value of the BSEC as a regional
organization and how is it integrated in the world economic relations
in the view of new global challenges? The Black Sea Economic
Cooperation, one of the influential and representative organizations
in the region, was launched in 1992 as an initiative bearing a specific
responsibility for promoting multilateral mutually beneficial economic
cooperation and securing stability and prosperity in the Black Sea
region. The BSEC conception has been to comprise those who are bound up
with the Black Sea and have standing political and economic interests
even when sometimes policies and approaches essentially differ.
The Organization, that tries to address the most substantive
challenges of regional economic cooperation and contributes to its
project-oriented agenda, is also called for developing the common
principles of regional cooperation as part of the integration process
in Europe and a higher degree of integration into the world economy.
I will not be mistaken if say that the BSEC-EU interaction in
particular after the milestone meeting in Kiev on February 14, is of
potential importance to the future of a result-oriented cooperation
in the Black Sea region as it has a greater impact to address the
real needs of the region. The BSEC has become a major instrument
in the process of intensification of the Black Sea strategies and
plays an important role in its development and formation of shared
values and interests. Addressing the challenges which BSEC Member
States encounter, and the difficulties affecting the multilateral
process, the Organization's strategy should concentrate on the
comparative advantages of regional cooperation, the priority sectors,
infrastructures and investments and the strategic significance of the
region in the context of the wider European economy. - What are the
priorities of the BSEC economic agenda? From the very beginning, as
it was provided for in the BSEC Chapter, the Organization was aimed at
fostering cooperation among the member-states in the major economic
fields - energy, transport, agriculture and agro-industry, health
care, environmental protection, tourism, science and technology,
communications, trade, collaboration among customs authorities,
combating organized crime etc. Gradually, along with the mentioned
priorities, the new ones, such as good governance and institutional
renewal, development of small and medium entrepreneurship, emergency
assistance, combating international terrorism and others have emerged
in the Black Sea region and found their place on the BSEC agenda.
- What kind of joint programs does the BSEC carry out with other
international organizations? There is a number of international
organizations the BSEC collaborates to in different formats. With
some of them it signed Memoranda of Understanding (UN, EU, CIS). I
would mention just one of the initiatives - Black Sea Trade and
Investment Program - which is executed by the UNDP. The Program
is aimed at promoting investment and trade links within the BSEC
region. It creates the capacity within the Black Sea business support
institutions to take advantage of intra-regional trade and investment
expansion opportunity. The beneficiaries of the Program are small
and medium-sized enterprises and business support organizations of
the BSEC member states. As you know, one of the last presentations
of the Program was organized in Yerevan on April 3rd this year with
the efforts of the Armenian Development Agency. - As you mentioned,
the BSEC is a project-oriented organization. How can a member state
make use of the BSEC funds for project implementation?
There is a Project Development Fund operating within the framework
of the BSEC. The Fund, that provides financial support to eligible
proposals and projects, was established for the purpose of facilitating
the elaboration and promotion of projects with a focus on regional
cooperation and major economic development in the BSEC area. The
Fund operates on the principle of voluntary contributions from the
BSEC member-states, related bodies, observers and third parties. The
amount of contribution is 30.000 USD or Euros. Only entities from those
member-states who made a contribution may have priority to benefit
from the Fund. The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank is another
financial institution operating within the framework of the BSEC. The
Bank is established by the BSEC Member States and supports regional
economic cooperation by providing project financing and supporting
public and private enterprises in its member countries. In recent
years, the BSTB invested 2.1 million Euros in the "Beer of Yerevan"
CJSC, 23 million USD in the "RusAl Armenia" CJSC and 3 million USD
in the ACBA (Credit Agricole Bank Closed Joint Stock Company). Due to
the efforts of the Government of Greece a new financial institution,
the Hellenic Development Fund, has been established recently. The
BSEC has been included in the Official Development Assistance Programs
of the OECD which allows the Organization promoting through the Fund
economic cooperation and development projects in the region. - What
challenges are currently being faced by the BSEC as an organization
for regional economic cooperation? The fundamental principles of the
BSEC, which is determined to promote a lasting and closer cooperation
among the states of the Black Sea region and to enhance the mutually
advantageous economic cooperation, are provided for in the BSEC
Charter's Preamble and secured in a number of provisions of other
statutory papers of the Organization adopted by the member-states.
At the meantime, the delegations of some member-states to the BSEC
Organization have been applying continuous efforts to raise global
and regional political issues of a sensitive nature including
those of international conflicts and to include the politically
motivated formulations in the respective documents. This approach
is inconsistent with fundamental provisions of statutory documents
of the BSEC and tends to shift the forum into one of deadlocked
and time-wasting discussions on unsettled political conflicts
and, accordingly, could not be acceptable for the most of BSEC
member-states who feel the fate of the BSEC keenly. Besides,
referring to the recent letter of the Turkish Foreign Minister
addressed to the BSEC Ministers of Foreign Affairs, it is to be noted
that despite the unsettled issues existing in bilateral relations
between our countries, we share the former's deep concern on new
interim as well as international challenges addressing durability of
our organization. Indeed, the organization is wasting its precious
time also on non-effective and pointless procedural issues, instead
of fostering the necessary practical measures to maintain reformation
processes within the organization. - What are the main priorities
of the Republic of Armenia in the BSEC and how do you envisage our
country's prospects within the organization?
Armenia is one of the founder-countries of the BSEC. We have the
BSEC representation in Istanbul. There is a representative of the
Republic of Armenia in the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat
who is responsible for international economic policy and BSEC-EU
cooperation - one of the key operational sector of the organization. A
representative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry is a board-member of
a number of the BSEC related bodies. As for the main priority areas,
I would single out the following root issues for Armenia within the
framework of BSEC cooperation: transport and energy, agriculture,
science, technology and communications, education, environment and
tourism, public administration, cooperation in emergency assistance
and combating crime etc. We have joined to almost all agreements signed
in these areas, particularly on transport and energy cooperation. The
Republic of Armenia is currently a country-coordinator for energy
cooperation. Since this coming November our country is assuming the
six-month Chairmanship in the BSEC. This is a privilege and great
responsibility. The Armenian Government and public institutions
involved have already set about the preparation activities and
proceeding to be thoroughly prepared for duly implementation of
their duties during the forthcoming Chairmanship-in-Office. We,
as a BSEC member-state and the next Chairman of the organization,
are confident that the BSEC is playing a significant role in the
regional as well as the world economic and social life, so we will
redouble our efforts to withstand the world global challenges to keep
this organization alive forever.
Azat Artsakh Daily,
25 June 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
- What do you think is a true value of the BSEC as a regional
organization and how is it integrated in the world economic relations
in the view of new global challenges? The Black Sea Economic
Cooperation, one of the influential and representative organizations
in the region, was launched in 1992 as an initiative bearing a specific
responsibility for promoting multilateral mutually beneficial economic
cooperation and securing stability and prosperity in the Black Sea
region. The BSEC conception has been to comprise those who are bound up
with the Black Sea and have standing political and economic interests
even when sometimes policies and approaches essentially differ.
The Organization, that tries to address the most substantive
challenges of regional economic cooperation and contributes to its
project-oriented agenda, is also called for developing the common
principles of regional cooperation as part of the integration process
in Europe and a higher degree of integration into the world economy.
I will not be mistaken if say that the BSEC-EU interaction in
particular after the milestone meeting in Kiev on February 14, is of
potential importance to the future of a result-oriented cooperation
in the Black Sea region as it has a greater impact to address the
real needs of the region. The BSEC has become a major instrument
in the process of intensification of the Black Sea strategies and
plays an important role in its development and formation of shared
values and interests. Addressing the challenges which BSEC Member
States encounter, and the difficulties affecting the multilateral
process, the Organization's strategy should concentrate on the
comparative advantages of regional cooperation, the priority sectors,
infrastructures and investments and the strategic significance of the
region in the context of the wider European economy. - What are the
priorities of the BSEC economic agenda? From the very beginning, as
it was provided for in the BSEC Chapter, the Organization was aimed at
fostering cooperation among the member-states in the major economic
fields - energy, transport, agriculture and agro-industry, health
care, environmental protection, tourism, science and technology,
communications, trade, collaboration among customs authorities,
combating organized crime etc. Gradually, along with the mentioned
priorities, the new ones, such as good governance and institutional
renewal, development of small and medium entrepreneurship, emergency
assistance, combating international terrorism and others have emerged
in the Black Sea region and found their place on the BSEC agenda.
- What kind of joint programs does the BSEC carry out with other
international organizations? There is a number of international
organizations the BSEC collaborates to in different formats. With
some of them it signed Memoranda of Understanding (UN, EU, CIS). I
would mention just one of the initiatives - Black Sea Trade and
Investment Program - which is executed by the UNDP. The Program
is aimed at promoting investment and trade links within the BSEC
region. It creates the capacity within the Black Sea business support
institutions to take advantage of intra-regional trade and investment
expansion opportunity. The beneficiaries of the Program are small
and medium-sized enterprises and business support organizations of
the BSEC member states. As you know, one of the last presentations
of the Program was organized in Yerevan on April 3rd this year with
the efforts of the Armenian Development Agency. - As you mentioned,
the BSEC is a project-oriented organization. How can a member state
make use of the BSEC funds for project implementation?
There is a Project Development Fund operating within the framework
of the BSEC. The Fund, that provides financial support to eligible
proposals and projects, was established for the purpose of facilitating
the elaboration and promotion of projects with a focus on regional
cooperation and major economic development in the BSEC area. The
Fund operates on the principle of voluntary contributions from the
BSEC member-states, related bodies, observers and third parties. The
amount of contribution is 30.000 USD or Euros. Only entities from those
member-states who made a contribution may have priority to benefit
from the Fund. The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank is another
financial institution operating within the framework of the BSEC. The
Bank is established by the BSEC Member States and supports regional
economic cooperation by providing project financing and supporting
public and private enterprises in its member countries. In recent
years, the BSTB invested 2.1 million Euros in the "Beer of Yerevan"
CJSC, 23 million USD in the "RusAl Armenia" CJSC and 3 million USD
in the ACBA (Credit Agricole Bank Closed Joint Stock Company). Due to
the efforts of the Government of Greece a new financial institution,
the Hellenic Development Fund, has been established recently. The
BSEC has been included in the Official Development Assistance Programs
of the OECD which allows the Organization promoting through the Fund
economic cooperation and development projects in the region. - What
challenges are currently being faced by the BSEC as an organization
for regional economic cooperation? The fundamental principles of the
BSEC, which is determined to promote a lasting and closer cooperation
among the states of the Black Sea region and to enhance the mutually
advantageous economic cooperation, are provided for in the BSEC
Charter's Preamble and secured in a number of provisions of other
statutory papers of the Organization adopted by the member-states.
At the meantime, the delegations of some member-states to the BSEC
Organization have been applying continuous efforts to raise global
and regional political issues of a sensitive nature including
those of international conflicts and to include the politically
motivated formulations in the respective documents. This approach
is inconsistent with fundamental provisions of statutory documents
of the BSEC and tends to shift the forum into one of deadlocked
and time-wasting discussions on unsettled political conflicts
and, accordingly, could not be acceptable for the most of BSEC
member-states who feel the fate of the BSEC keenly. Besides,
referring to the recent letter of the Turkish Foreign Minister
addressed to the BSEC Ministers of Foreign Affairs, it is to be noted
that despite the unsettled issues existing in bilateral relations
between our countries, we share the former's deep concern on new
interim as well as international challenges addressing durability of
our organization. Indeed, the organization is wasting its precious
time also on non-effective and pointless procedural issues, instead
of fostering the necessary practical measures to maintain reformation
processes within the organization. - What are the main priorities
of the Republic of Armenia in the BSEC and how do you envisage our
country's prospects within the organization?
Armenia is one of the founder-countries of the BSEC. We have the
BSEC representation in Istanbul. There is a representative of the
Republic of Armenia in the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat
who is responsible for international economic policy and BSEC-EU
cooperation - one of the key operational sector of the organization. A
representative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry is a board-member of
a number of the BSEC related bodies. As for the main priority areas,
I would single out the following root issues for Armenia within the
framework of BSEC cooperation: transport and energy, agriculture,
science, technology and communications, education, environment and
tourism, public administration, cooperation in emergency assistance
and combating crime etc. We have joined to almost all agreements signed
in these areas, particularly on transport and energy cooperation. The
Republic of Armenia is currently a country-coordinator for energy
cooperation. Since this coming November our country is assuming the
six-month Chairmanship in the BSEC. This is a privilege and great
responsibility. The Armenian Government and public institutions
involved have already set about the preparation activities and
proceeding to be thoroughly prepared for duly implementation of
their duties during the forthcoming Chairmanship-in-Office. We,
as a BSEC member-state and the next Chairman of the organization,
are confident that the BSEC is playing a significant role in the
regional as well as the world economic and social life, so we will
redouble our efforts to withstand the world global challenges to keep
this organization alive forever.