Press statement by Moldovan acting foreign minister on end of Moldova's BSEC chairmanship-in-office

Chisinau, 18 June /MOLDPRES/ - Statement by Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and European Integration Minister Natalia on the end of Moldova’s chairmanship of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation (BSEC): 

”Today, I chaired the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation member states, occasioned by the end of Moldova’s BSEC chairmanship-in-office, held in the past six months. 

On this period, Moldova continued promoting the implementation of projects, as well as building capacities and operational mechanisms, in order to enhance efficiency and improve activities of the organisation. 

One of the main priorities Moldova set in the concerned period was to boost the cooperation dialogue between BSEC and EU. As chair of the organisation, we wanted to develop a balanced and mutually advantageous relation with EU, while turning to good account all mechanisms existing to this end. 

In the context, more high-level consultations took place with European commissioners, during which prospects of developing cooperation between the two international structures were discussed. 

Moldova’s chairmanship had an agenda oriented to concrete cooperation areas; among the priority action directions, there were facilitating trade and improving economic activities, developing transport infrastructure, fostering health systems, as well as creating an efficient cooperation framework in the tourism and culture sector. 

To implement the set goals, four meetings, namely the ones of Transport (14 May), Economics (29 May), Health (5 June) ministers and the today one of Foreign Ministers (18 June) were organised in Chisinau. The participants in meeting tackled the cooperation prospects in the transport sector, practical mechanisms of removing non-tariff barriers in order to facilitate trade and encourage  investments between the member states, as well as ways of coordinating policies on tobacco control in BSEC states. 

During the chairmanship, over 20 sectoral meetings were held in various field, such as energy, economy, customs cooperation, banks and financing, organised crime, education, culture, tourism, etc.. 

Today, Romania took over the BSEC chairmanship for July-December 2015. In the context, we wish Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and his team every success in order to achieve the set goals”.     

(Editor M. Jantovan)