PABSEC's Tariceanu: The Black Sea should stay a strategic binder for our cooperation

Chairman of the Romanian Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu on Thursday opened the 46th meeting of the General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation (PABSEC) in Bucharest that marks the end of the Romanian chairmanship of PABSEC. "In diplomacy, smartness and wisdom are not related to providence or fortune. They are first of all acts of political will backed up by high professional training, respect for the national interest, for the universal value system, mastering the art of negotiating, pragmatism, knowledge, recognition and application of international law. I am inviting you to write together, with intelligence and wisdom, this 46th page in the Book of Black Sea parliamentary diplomacy," Tariceanu said in his speech to the event hosted by the plenary session room of the Senate. At the 46th meeting of the PABSEC General Assembly, chairman-in-office Calin Popescu-Tariceanu hands over on Friday the chairmanship of PABSEC to the Russian Federation. The main theme of the event is parliamentary involvement in implementing the objectives of sustainable development in the BSEC region. The meeting is unfolded under the aegis of the Romanian Senate, the holder of the PABSEC chairmanship June - November 2015. Chairman-in-office of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Cooperation Organisation (PABSEC) said on Thursday in a speech to a PABSEC meeting in Bucharest that the Black Sea should remain a strategic binder for cooperation among the BSEC countries."Given the current geopolitical and economic context, we cannot underestimate our own assets: a territory of 20 million square kilometres and a population of 350 million, a geostrategic importance — as a transit area for the most important trade routes, natural resources, human capital and last but not least an excellent common ambassador: Her Excellence, the Black Sea," Tariceanu told the opening of the 46th meeting of the General Assembly of PABSEC in Bucharest that marks the end of the Romanian chairmanship of PABSEC. He added that PABSEC has taken some steps toward boosting cooperation with the European Parliament. "We still have to seek mutually advantageous formulas to provide an organisational framework for our cooperation. I hope that this first leg of the journey, which we have finished already, was the most difficult one as well and that after so many ups and downs and stops we will manage to get to the finish line and enjoy our status of a credible and serious partner in the regional and international stages and the same trust we grant our partners. (...) As a natural continuation of these actions, the PABSEC session in Bucharest can become (...) a landmark in the establishment of new joint action guidelines to promote good governance and deepen sectoral cooperation in areas where our countries and region can and should become highly performing," said Tariceanu. He mentioned that the discussion themes on the agenda of the General Assembly meeting of PABSEC are steered toward encouraging transparent governance, the fight against corruption and the fight against illicit trafficking. "E-governance in the PABSEC member states, the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural assets in the BSEC region, creating a legal framework to fight against corruption, although they seem distinct themes, I cannot but remark that e-governance, the support of good, transparent and responsible governance, is a vital element in deterring corruption and that an efficient legal framework for the fight against corruption creates the premises for reduced illicit border trafficking," said Tariceanu. He pointed out that inefficient governance, corruption, the abuse of power, non-functioning organisations and democracy deficit are weakening up the state from within. "The failure of the beginning and forced privatisation as immediate effects of power vacuum are no longer today challenges that would stop at the borders of a country, but a phenomenon able to influence national, regional and even international stability," Tariceanu concluded. The Romanian Senate is hosting in Bucharest the 46th meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation organisation (PABSEC) starting Thursday and throughout Friday, at the end of the Romanian chairmanship of PABSEC. The main theme of the event is parliamentary involvement in the implementation of sustainable development objectives in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation area, and it is unfolded under the aegis of the Romanian Senate, the holder of the PABSEC chairmanship June-November 2015. Attending the 46th meeting of the PABSEC are members of the standing delegations of the 12 BSEC member states, as well as representatives of international parliamentary organisations, national parliaments and NGOs that are PABSEC special guests or observers.