A summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) was held in Istanbul on May 22. It was special in that it marked an anniversary, as the organization celebrated its 25 years in existence. In addition, Ukraine will take over the presidency of the BSEC in late June.
On the eve of the summit, The Day turned to Ambassador of Turkey to Ukraine Yonet Can Tezel for information about expectations of the Turkish government from this anniversary summit as well as the Turkish vision of Ukraine’s possible contribution to the BSEC, as it will take over the presidency in the second half of the year.
“To answer this question, I will have to tell about the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, BSEC, that’s called as an acronym. In 1992, there was a philosophy behind it: after the end of the Cold War, countries could not see what was happening, could not see the new system, the new world order, so this was an idea of ours to bring together countries in the Black Sea and to have inclusive cooperative mechanisms, especially using economic relations, economic projects. Because we were realistic and today we still are realistic that there are quite a few problems in this area. You can’t solve everything, and conflicts continue after the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization was established. The BSEC is not like the UN Security Council, so we shouldn’t put too much expectations on it, however, it has been a useful, viable platform, for dialog especially. And very importantly, it is representative of this region, it is very inclusive. Why? This was a particular choice of Turkey.
“There are in fact 12 members of the BSEC, but Black Sea littoral states are not that many. However, we did not want to make people think that Turkey is setting up something against this or that country, so we invited countries, members from the wider Black Sea Region. For example, Armenia doesn’t even have a Black Sea shore, as well as Greece, Albania, Moldova… We wanted to be inclusive. The idea is to cooperate, to help the countries, to benefit from their complementarity. Now, it was a difficult thing, but it has survived despite big political disagreements between the countries. That’s why we try to keep the BSEC somewhat, if possible, away from political context, so that political debates and conflicts don’t cripple the essence of the Black Sea economic cooperation mechanisms. So we have established several mechanisms, and in fact, they have been meeting, for example, in the period leading up to the summits.
“We had ministers of agriculture, ministers of economy, and we will have, of course, ministers of health meeting again. So, these are functional areas, they are not high politics, they don’t sound very critical, strategic, but they are important. Plus we have, of course, 18 different working groups, such as transportation, which is also very important for Ukraine, for example, and other countries. But there are also some institutions which are important: there is the bank, for example, there is the studies center, the parliamentary assembly. As you know, the secretariat is in Istanbul, and we have been trying to find a good new location for the secretariat. We have done that, so we will be opening that new premises for the secretariat in Istanbul in next few days.
“And from this summit, of course, as usual, there will be a declaration, and within this, we also hope the leaders will emphasize sustainability, sustainable growth. These are not always highly political words, but they are important.
“So, we are hopeful that the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, despite the differences, conflicts – let’s say, that’s differences and tensions between our members, but there are tensions all around the world anyway – continues to meet, it continues to offer a platform to countries that would like to cooperate.
“There is a business forum too, they have also met. Minister Stepan Kubiv from Ukraine was in Turkey for that purpose, with the minister of economy, the deputy prime minister, and business organizations from Ukraine. It’s difficult, but that’s how diplomacy works: you have the mechanisms, and countries are encouraged to benefit from this.
“We don’t have the magic wand, we don’t have the panacea, the medicine to solve everything, but if we don’t have these platforms for dialog, then what do you have?”
Can you tell us about already implemented and regionally beneficial projects?
“We were able to set up a bank, which works. It is located in Greece, with its center in Thessaloniki. They work on projects, try to sponsor certain projects, applications which come to them. They try to work on transportation, helping businesses, maybe small- and medium-sized businesses. I already mentioned the 18 working groups, the bank, the business forum. I mean, it depends on the members, how actively they want this. We now have a better, larger secretariat in Istanbul. The old secretariat, by the way, was in a wonderful palace, or palatial building, historic building in Istanbul. It was a wonderful setting, people loved it, but it was an old historic building, it could not be enough, plus that building had to be restored, so we are moving the secretariat to a new building.”
I read that there was something called “the Black Sea identity.” Can you explain what it entails?
“First of all, in Turkey, we believe that we have a rich collection of identities. We are somewhat Middle Eastern, we are somewhat Mediterranean, we are somewhat Balkan, because of that we are also European, we are Asian at the same time, but we are a Black Sea country, a Caucasus country too. When it comes to the Black Sea, this is a sea that binds these countries together, and the Black Sea has been a route of trade and cultural interaction for centuries.
“The idea is, once the Cold War ended, countries needed to benefit from the culture of reconciliation, the culture of interaction. The culture of interdependence is important. When countries trade more with each other, when they come together around the negotiating table, when they build joint projects, their interests come close to each other, because then they have to protect their close interest together.
“So, we wanted the countries around the Black Sea to understand that opening your markets, opening your countries to cooperate with others, to trade with others, is not something you should be scared of. It’s the opposite: you come together, you open your borders, and then the businesses will form joint companies, joint projects, endeavors. And in this respect, the need to protect those would be the joint interest of those countries, and this stops conflict and war. It should.”
However, you have noted that there were certain contradictions even before the BSEC was founded. How does the Ukrainian-Russian crisis affect the Black Sea cooperation and realization of its potential?
“Of course, when you look at a country like Ukraine, and especially Russia, there are also points of interaction. Their priorities are not limited only to the Black Sea. Black Sea is only one part of their strategic views.
“So the problem between Ukraine and Russia, which is of course the problem for all of us, because of its ramifications, because of its impact on international relations, on international law, on security – is not because of the Black Sea. Black Sea is only a venue, a channel. Maybe they can still come together and still have dialog, not necessarily debating harsh on the crisis itself, because that won’t be fair: there are other mechanisms, there are other processes like the Minsk process, to take care of it. So, the BSEC should not interfere with those. But there are additional channels where leaders, ministers can get together, and then at a low level, companies and other institutions can see the results, can see the benefit of cooperating. Now, the BSEC doesn’t force countries to act together, but it offers them venues, so who wants, comes and works.
“The thing about the Black Sea Economic Cooperation is that decisions are taken with the consensus, meaning everybody has to say ‘Yes’ to high-level decisions. But the only mechanism where you take such high-level decisions is at the level of ministers. Otherwise, ministers don’t interfere will all the other cooperative mechanisms, economic infrastructure.
“The Black Sea Economic Cooperation also uses some contacts with the EU. They come to see what the BSEC is doing. It’s a regional organization, after all.”
What contribution to the work of the BSEC do you expect from the Ukrainians, especially given the fact that this country will take over the presidency in the second half of the year?
“Well, Ukraine is in the process of rebuilding itself, and of course rebuilding its ties with its neighbors and its areas. That’s why Black Sea is, I think, a very good opportunity for Ukraine to use. You have the bank, you have the business forum, you have the ministers coming together and speaking. It all makes sense. I think it is based on this understanding that Ukrainian ministers are now going to these ministerial meetings. I understand that being in the crisis, there have been some hesitations, but when we established the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in 1992, this was the idea: despite problems, let there be a channel where you still can do day-to-day business, try to do something good. Still, we have to make the BSEC more effective, more efficient, that’s why we are putting some emphasis on reform. Of course, reform is important, but reform needs consensus, and its consensus rule forces countries to think and to reach a joint conclusion. We are working on that, and we will be handing over the chairmanship to Ukraine, so Ukraine will also bring its intellectual and its practical experience to that.
“But I cannot imagine the BSEC without Ukraine and its contribution. Ukraine is, despite its difficulties, a country with a lot of potential, and in fact, now it’s reforming, is trying to break wars, to find new ways. That’s why, I think, the BSEC presents to Ukraine a wonderful channel.”
