Xenophon Paper 2 pdf - ICBSS

establishment of parallel overlapping forms of regional cooperation, the Community of
Democratic Choice (CDC) or GUAM, as well as from a renewed geopolitical interest of
the US and the EU. Comprised of nine countries from the Balkan, Baltic, and Black Sea
regions, with observers from the United States and the European Union, the CDC focuses
on the promotion of democratic values, regional stability, and economic prosperity.
Political dialogue: The rotating chairmanship of the BSEC between its member states
reveals the extent of their individual commitments to the statutory objectives of the
Organisation. Moldova exercised twice its chairmanship leading the Organisation of the
BSEC. Monitoring of earlier adopted decisions was certainly a major task of the
chairmanship. Considering that sustainable economic development has no basis for
growth unless stability and security is ensured, Moldova pointed out the following
priorities during its mandate: security, transportation and infrastructure networks, energy,
information technology (IT), agriculture, good governance. 14 At the inter-parliamentary
level, the Parliament of Moldova participates regularly to the spring and autumn sessions
of the PABSEC and it ratified the Charter of the BSEC, signed in Yalta on 5 June 1998.
The Charter stipulates that the PABSEC’s role is to “provide consistent support to the
Black Sea cooperation process, supporting a regular and formalised high-level interaction
with the BSEC” 15 . In line with its mission, the PABSEC International Secretariat maintains
permanent links among national parliaments and assists in the organisation and
arrangement of meetings, the preparation of draft documents and the drafting of the
Assembly’s agenda.
Members of the PABSEC issue statements, adopt documents and recommendations
after debating specialised reports prepared in this regard. The PABSEC has organised
jointly with other international organisations, regional fora, involving non-Black Sea
countries, businesses and think tanks, aiming at raising public awareness at both regional
and European level. The PABSEC has acted as an active promoter of regional cooperation
among local governments throughout the region. It chaired various round tables for
governors and mayors representing the Black Sea capitals, and even set up an Association
of the Black Sea Capitals. The constraints to the political dialogue and cooperation are
mainly related to the ups and downs in bilateral relations. For instance, deteriorating
relations between Russia, Georgia and Moldova overshadowed the latest PABSEC
meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2006. While some of the national delegations would like
the BSEC to expand its cooperation to include political and security issues in addition
to economic ones, some countries openly oppose this.
14 Document conceptual al exercitarii Presedintiei RM in cadrul Organisatiei Cooperarii Economice la Marea
Neagra, http://www.222.mfa.md/politica-externa/conceptual-al-exercitarii/.
15 The text of the Charter can be found at the BSEC’s website, http://www.bsec-organisation.org.
X E N O P H O N P A P E R no 2 93