On December 16, the 25th meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC) took place in Moscow which was attended by the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian. The representatives of the BSEC observer countries and a number of international organizations took part in the Ministerial meeting, as well. The issues on the agenda of the Ministerial meeting included the cooperation between the Organization’s member countries in the fields of trade, information technologies, agriculture, environmental protection, tourism and emergency response. Addressing a speech at the meeting, Edward Nalbandian stressed the importance of raising the effectiveness of the Organization’s activities and the development and promotion of a new economic agenda directed to the proper implementation of specific regional programs ahead of the 20th Anniversary of the BSEC. Minister Nalbandian welcomed the recent declarations adopted by the BSEC member countries’ Ministers of Transport, Agriculture and Emergency Situations in respective spheres. Among the achievements of the cooperation, Minister Nalbandian singled out the adoption of the memorandum draft on the cooperation in the sphere of sanitary protection in the BSEC member countries in the frames of the BSEC Working Group on health and pharmacy issues coordinated by Armenia. Edward Nalbandian underlined the works done by the Armenian led Working Group on information technologies development towards the promotion of cooperation in the above-mentioned sphere and engagement of new partners, as well. As a result of the meeting, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs adopted over 80 decisions and proposals. At the end of the meeting Russia handed over the chairmanship of the Organization to Serbia, which will preside over the Organization in the first half of 2012, the Press, information and public relations department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia informs.

---