Russia will help create economic growth of Black Sea region - Lavrov

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia will assist the effort of making the Black Sea region a zone of cooperation and economic progress, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. Russia is holding the chairmanship in the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) during the period from January 1 to June 30, 2016. The BSEC is an international economic organization of 12 countries from the wider Black Sea area (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine). A key event of the Russian presidency is the meeting of the council of foreign ministers in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on July 1. "Russia has taken over the presidency in the BSEC that will celebrate the 25th anniversary next year. Over this period, the BSEC has proved to be in demand as an efficient tool of developing fruitful cooperation in the Black Sea region that is not affected by the immediate political environment," Lavrov said in a statement. Established in 1992, the BSEC is an inter-governmental organization created with the aim to foster interaction and harmony among its member states, as well as to ensure peace, stability and prosperity encouraging friendly and good-neighborly relations in the Black Sea region. Read more