ISTANBUL (Sputnik) – The member states of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) have shown a willingness to improve upon their partnership even further within the Black Sea region, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday.
"Today the [BSEC] states have demonstrated the willingness to develop economic cooperation in the Black Sea region. And if you pay attention, the members of the BSEC are slightly broader than the states that have actual access to the Black Sea," Medvedev told reporters, commenting on the results of the BSEC summit in Istanbul.
The BSEC, founded as political and economic initiative in 1992, became a regional organization in 1999 and is presently comprised of 12 states in the Black Sea region and southern Balkans. Out of the 12 members, only six, namely, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia, have access to the Black Sea. The BSEC’s headquarters is located in Istanbul.
