InternationalBSEC Secretary General strikes an optimistic note
Published: Saturday September 13, 2008
Amb. Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, the secretary general of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organization, in Yerevan. . Armenian Reporter
Yerevan - On 25 June 1992, the heads of state and governments of eleven countries - Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine - signed the Summit Declaration and the Bosphorus Statement in Istanbul giving birth to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). The initiative came from Turkey with U.S. encouragement. BSEC came into existence as a unique and promising model of a multilateral political and economic initiative aimed at fostering interaction and harmony among the member states, as well as to ensure peace, stability, and prosperity and to encourage friendly and good-neighbourly relations in the Black Sea region.
In 1991, Ankara recognized the independence of the three countries of the Southern Caucasus. However, it refused to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan, using Armenia's Supreme Council declaration of August 23, 1990, in which the 11th article states, "Armenia supports the international recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia," as its rationale.
On April 1993, by a governmental decision, Turkey officially shut its borders with Armenia, when the Karabakh forces seized the Kelbajar region, which is outside Nagorno-Karabakh proper.
The BSEC Headquarters - the Permanent International Secretariat of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS) - was established in March 1994 in Istanbul. It is the only place in Turkey where the Armenian tricolor waves.
On September 7 President Serge Sargsian received the Secretary General of the organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos. Mr. Chrysanthopoulos in 1993-94 was the first Greek ambassador to Armenia.
The president discussed with the secretary general issues related to the upcoming presidency of Armenia in the organization and events scheduled for that period.
Mr. Chrysanthopoulos on September 8 met with the Armenian Reporter's Tatul Hakobyan for an exclusive interview.
Reporter:Mr Chrysanthopoulos, during this visit you met high-ranking Armenian officials, including President Serge Sargsian. What was the main topic of your discussions?
Chrysanthopoulos: The main reason for my visit this time to Armenia is that from November until April, Armenia assumes the chairmanship of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization. I always visit the incoming chairman-in-office one or two months before to discuss with them the program of events, priorities, and to see how the secretariat can help the chairman-in-office.
Reporter: Can you tell us more details about your talks with the Armenian president?
Chrysanthopoulos: The basic topic was the chairmanship, which falls in a very difficult and critical moment for the area and for BSEC, particularly after the recent events in the Caucasus. I stressed the important role the Armenian chairmanship would have play in helping the situation normalize because BSEC is concerned with economic cooperation. Also, it is interesting to note that during the Armenian chairmanship of BSEC, it might also help Armenia in its normalization with Turkey after the visit of President of Turkey here a few days ago.
Reporter: Two BSEC members - Armenia and Turkey - have no diplomatic relations; moreover after estalishing BSEC in 1992, the next year Turkey closed its borders with Armenia. Were there any efforts from BSEC to persuade Turkey to lift the blockade and have normal relations with Armenia?
Chrysanthopoulos: BSEC is an economic organization and does not deal with political issues. But the fact that we have two ministerial meetings every year allows the ministers of Armenia and Turkey to meet informally on the margins of these meetings. This has allowed the two sides to have constatnt discussions. This was something very important.
Also we must never forget; [Turkish president Turgut] Ozal, when he created this organization, invited Armenia to join. And this was an even more difficult moment; his vision was to establish an organization that after the collapse of the Soviet Union would maintain peace and stability in the Black Sea area, and he did successfully until the recent events [the Georgia-South Ossetia conflict].
Reporter: BSEC is 16 years old but if we go out and ask people about the organization, they have either never heard of it or do not know much about it. What is the reason for this?
Chrysanthopoulos: That is something that I agree with you on. When I became secretary general about two and half a year ago, it was the same impression that I had. The reason is that there were no significant projects, because the average person does not read a newspaper, he gets an impression about an organization if this organization changes in a positive way his life - like the EU. BSEC had not done that, it had not reached the people yet. Now with the two projects that we have, one is the Black Sea ring highway which will hopefully connect the Black Sea countries in the ring road highway. This is a very important project because it will change the everyday life of the average person. It would increase inter-BSEC trade and commerce, it will unite the European road network to the Asian road network, and it will facilitate the movement of people within the Black Sea countries. This will make significant changes. Projects like that will help people understand that this organization exists and is doing something for them.
