UN General Assembly adopts resolution 'Cooperation between the UN and Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization'

The United Nations General Assembly on Monday adopted, by consensus, the biennial resolution entitled 'Cooperation between the United Nations and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.' The draft resolution was introduced to the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly by Romania, in its capacity as Chairman-in-Office of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), informed the Permanent Mission of Romania with the United Nations in a press release.  "The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization has a significant role to play in encouraging a culture of dialogue, being one of the first regional cooperation initiatives in the region. As an international regional organization focused on multilateral political and economic initiatives aimed at fostering cooperation, peace, stability and prosperity in the Black Sea region, the BSEC values deeply the cooperation with the United Nations and encourages activities through regional cooperation in the spirit of the purposes and principles of the United Nations,' showed the Permanent Representative of Romania to the UN, Ambassador Ion Jinga. Underlining the new elements that the resolution introduces this year, the Romanian diplomat mentioned that the document comprises substantive as well as technical updates, including references to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to deliver a global response based on unity, solidarity and multilateral cooperation to this crisis. The Black Sea Cooperation Process was launched by the signing of the Istanbul Declaration on 25 June 1992, with the objective of accelerating the economic and social development of the member states, with the aim of achieving a higher degree of integration into the European and world economy, by intensifying multilateral cooperation and the use of the advantages deriving from the geographical proximity and complementarities of the national economies. On 5 June 1998, the participating states signed the BSEC Charter, marking the transformation of the political initiative into a regional international organization. The BSEC currently comprises 13 member states, namely Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Northern Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. Romania is a founding member of the BSEC and it assumed the Presidency-in-Office on 1 January 2020, for the sixth time since the institutionalization of the Organization, in 1992. The mandate was extended, under exceptional conditions, until 31 December 2020, in order to ensure the continuity of the presidencies-in-office of the organization. Under the motto "Bridging Shores Enhancing Cohesion", the Romanian Presidency-in-Office aimed, in 2020, at boosting results-oriented cooperation for tangible results in the region, especially in the context of the unprecedented challenges related to the pandemic COVID-19. Therefore, Romania has been actively working, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Organization and the member states, to stimulate mutual trust and encourage a genuine and constructive dialogue, increase the profile and the relevance of the Organization, develop a flexible and pragmatic cooperation between BSEC and the EU, paying particular attention to key areas for the sustainable economic development of the region: transport and connectivity; environmental protection; climate change and green energy; competitiveness. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Mariana Ionescu, EN - author: Cristina Zaharia, editor: Adina Panaitescu)

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