Xenophon Paper 2 pdf - ICBSS

elationship between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey but also have highlighted increased
EU involvement in the wider Black Sea area. All of these factors are necessary elements
of any successful EU strategy for the BSEC region. Given today’s debate on the future
of the BSEC, the success of the Azeri-Georgian-Turkish alliance in building reliable
partnership with Greece and Ukraine and in advancing European strategic interests in
the BSEC region is quite notable. Through regional bilateral interaction and multilateral
cooperation among the BSEC member states, this organisation has a role to play in
promoting the establishment of a common Eurasian economic space.
Conclusions
The BSEC has developed into a full-fledged regional economic organisation possessing
a broad and comprehensive institutional basis. Although the member states cultivated
a spirit of cooperation in the Black Sea area, this organisation lacks effectiveness in
decision-making, visibility and coordination with other institutions and among its related
bodies. Truly, the BSEC has been passing through a critical process. The absence of
monitoring mechanism within the BSEC constitutes a major obstacle in implementing
many projects in various fields of cooperation. From a geopolitical standpoint, the future
of the BSEC region holds promise in the context of its greater participation in creating
a wider model of European security and cooperation. Seen from Azerbaijan, the BSEC’s
possible future contribution to regional integration and to the European security system
will require closer attention paid to political interaction between the BSEC member states
and to their growing involvement in the substantial regional issues such as conflict
resolution, illegal migration, antiterrorist efforts, combating organised crime, etc. Hence,
in addition to economic cooperation, the members of the BSEC should also be involved
in dealing with political problems. This means that decision-making mechanisms should
be changed through necessary reforms.
Currently, the EU is searching for a new regional dimension in the wider Black Sea area.
The member states of the BSEC have clearly expressed political will to cooperate with
EU institutions on a regular basis for the achievement of declared goals. However, the
BSEC needs a new vision of how to respond to existing and future challenges in an
ever-changing world. It is a fresh perspective that may help the Black Sea countries
restructure this international regional organisation. Many in Azerbaijan believe that a
new reformed agenda will turn the BSEC into a credible partner for the EU in the entire
region and on the international scene. The way forward requires a clear revised strategy,
which will give a new impulse for strengthening stability and security in the BSEC region
within the framework of a united Europe.
X E N O P H O N P A P E R no 2 35