First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić speaks at the 45th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States

Allow me to begin this speech by expressing my gratitude to Moldova for the efforts it invested during its chairmanship of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation over the past twelve months.  We believe that it is of great importance that, in the year in which we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of our Organization, we find a modality to maintain this cooperation mechanism in spite of the challenges and increasingly widening divisions.

As you are all aware, our meetings have been held in increasingly complex circumstances year after year, but the current images from Ukraine and their interpretations have further deepened the divisions between us, undermining the existing cohesion and threatening to completely jeopardise our work.

The Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation is facing an existential crisis, and it is clear that we have a duty to prevent it. The scale of the armed conflict in Ukraine greatly affects human lives. However, I believe that, as statespeople and political leaders of our nations, we have a duty and obligation to make additional efforts at this time to find minimum acceptable solutions.

In this context, we believe that we should first and  foremost work on improving cooperation in areas of common interest for all Member States, for the sake of our citizens, so we could, through that cooperation, resolve disagreements that are today more obvious than ever. Serbia believes that the work of this Organization is of great importance for improving the quality of life of our citizens, particularly if we focus on the original BSEC principles and goals.

I would like to point out that the Charter of our Organization states that it was established with the goal of promoting mutual bonds and trust through dialogue and cooperation. I believe that it is of particular importance that we maintain this channel of communication, especially at this time, because it may be extremely important in the period ahead.

We see the project orientation as an additional advantage of the regional Black Sea economic platform, and our priorities within BSEC are still to work on its sustainability as well as to improve the efficiency and functionality of the Organization itself. It is crucial that we focus even more on designing an economic strategy for the next decade.

Dear colleagues,

Events in the BSEC region and beyond have also left an impact on the Southeast Europe region. The Republic of Serbia is committed to improving the cooperation and relations with neighbouring countries, with a particular focus on economic cooperation and building a better common future. As a good example of these efforts, I would single out the Open Balkan initiative, which, in addition to Serbia, has so far been joined by Albania and North Macedonia. In this context, we will try, together with our neighbours, to share our experiences with the other BSEC Member States in terms of the development of concrete economic, infrastructural and technological projects. In view of the fact that dialogue, cooperation and respect for spheres of interest are the only way to find sustainable solutions for all outstanding issues in the Black Sea region and beyond, I would like to emphasise that in achieving these goals, as well as further improving dialogue and cooperation, the Republic of Serbia remains your reliable and constructive partner.

Thank you very much.

ADDITIONAL SPEECH – taking over the chairmanship

Brief speech by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić at the 45th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States

(Following the decision that the Republic of Serbia would take over the chairmanship)

Esteemed colleagues,

On behalf of the Republic of Serbia, I thank you for your confidence.

As you are aware. Serbia presided over the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization in 2016. At that time, I personally took part in designing the activities and the joint performance. I am enormously pleased that I will have the opportunity, during our six-month chairmanship, to once again, at this challenging time, contribute to the improvement of our communication, which I believe to be crucial not only for further development and progress, but also for the very future of the Organization. I am confident that we will be able to count on your full help and support during Serbia's chairmanship.

Thank you.