Statement by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Expanded Extraordinary Meeting of OIC Executive Committee, 12 August 2014, Jeddah Statement by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu at the Meeting of Turkey-CARICOM Consultation and Cooperation Mechanism, 18 July 2014, İstanbul Speech of H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Conference on “International Development Cooperation: Trends and Emerging Opportunities -Perspectives of the New Actors”, 20 June 2014, Istanbul Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the 41st Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, 18 June 2014, Jeddah Speech Delivered by H.E. Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu at the Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, 28 May 2014, Algeria Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 4th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, 21 May 2014, Shanghai Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Meeting of Group of Friends of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, 2 April 2014, New York Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the OIC Executive Committee Meeting on the Latest Developments in the Central African Republic, 20 February 2014, Jeddah Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Geneva II Conference, Montreux, 22 January 2014 Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the 16th Session of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers, 19 December 2013, Islamabad Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 29th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, 12 December 2013, Yerevan Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 21st Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization, 26 November 2013, Tehran Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Member States, 25 November 2013, Manama Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the High Level Segment Meeting During the 64th Excom Meeting of UNHCR, Geneva, 30 September 2013 Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Group of Friends Ministerial Meeting of the Alliance of Civilizations, 27 September 2013, New York Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the meeting entitled “LDC Graduation: The Way Towards MDG Acceleration, Sustainable Development and Structural Transformation”, 27 September 2013, New York Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum Opening Speech by H.E. Ahmet Davutoglu Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, 27 September 2013, New York Address by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 22nd Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, İstanbul, 29 June 2013 Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the 28th Ministerial Meeting of BSEC, 21 June 2013, Odessa Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the OIC Donor Conference in Support of The City of Al-Quds, Baku, Azerbaijan, 11 June 2013 Speech delivered by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Mali, 13 May 2013, Jeddah Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Somalia Conference, 7 May 2013, London Address by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Third Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process, 26 April 2013, Almaty Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the Third Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention, 9 April 2013, The Hague Statement by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the 24th Summit Meeting of the League of Arab States, 26 March 2013, Doha Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, in the University of London School of Economics and Political Science, 7 March 2013, London Address by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the UN Human Rights Council, 25 February 2013, Geneva Statement by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Ministerial Meeting Preparatory to the Twelfth Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, 4 February 2013, Cairo Speech Delivered by H.E. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, at the Ministerial Meeting of BSEC,15 December 2012, İstanbul Opening Remarks by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey at the Third Ministerial Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, 14 December 2012, Abu Dhabi
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  5. Speech Delivered by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the Unofficial Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Organization, 27 September 2012, New York
Speech Delivered by Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, at the Unofficial Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Organization, 27 September 2012, New York

Distinguished Colleagues,

Mr. Secretary General,

It is a great pleasure for me, as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), to welcome you all to this working luncheon in the Turkish House.Taking this opportunity, I would also like to welcome and congratulate Mr. Victor Tvirkun, who is the new Secretary General of our Organization.

I know that you all have very busy schedules. Therefore, I wish to express my sincere thanks to all of you for your presencehere, today. These traditional informal meetings of ours organized on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly are excellent opportunities for exchanging views on BSEC issues as well as the latest developments in our region.

We have recently gathered in Istanbul to mark the 20th anniversary of BSEC and renewed our commitment to the BSEC cooperation process. I would like to thank all of you for your contributions which made it possible for us to host such a successful event. The realization of this important Summit of Heads of State and Government under the co-chairmanship of Turkey and Serbia in Istanbul has demonstrated the spirit of cooperation and solidarity among our countries. We need harmony and enhanced cooperation within the Organization more than ever.

With this understanding, in Belgrade, we have adopted “The Economic Agenda Towards an Enhanced BSEC Partnership” which has been introduced as a roadmap to face the new challenges and opportunities in the global and local environment for the next decade. The New Economic Agenda was endorsed atthe İstanbul Summit. Now is the time to focus on the implementation of the Economic Agenda.

The Economic Agenda sets out a new vision for the role and strategy of BSEC including the promotion of cooperation with our international partners such as the United Nations, European Union, OECD and others.
The Turkish Chairmanship-in-Office of BSEC will promote the implementation of the new Economic Agenda.

Dear Colleagues,

Taking this opportunity, I would like to reaffirm that Turkey will continue to make efforts to improve the efficiency and visibility of BSEC during its Chairmanship-in-Office.

Within the framework of the main theme of our Chairmanship entitled as “From regional cooperation to a zone of prosperity in the Black Sea Area”, we shall address a wide range of issues such as: transport, intra-regional trade and investments, sustainable energy, combating organized crime, science and technology, taxation, culture and tourism, involvement of private sector and civil society as well as strengthening the Organization and its cooperation with international partners. We assess that all these fields of cooperation are necessary for ensuring shared prosperity in our region.

We will appreciate your full support and cooperation for the achievement of the priorities of the Turkish Chairmanship-in Office of BSEC which were elaborated by the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister on 3rd of September in Istanbul. During our Chairmanship-in-Office, we will do our utmost to implement a comprehensive calendar of events in order to enhance regional cooperation. In addition to the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 14December 2012, we intend to hold Ministerial meetings on transport, science and technology, combating organized crime, culture, taxation as well as business forums with the participation of other regional and international partners.

Excellencies,

Today, I would like to share with you some thoughts on our vision for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
This cooperation process which was realized with a true visionary approach right after the Cold War period has been by itself a significant success story if the conditions prevailing at that time are taken into consideration.

Many BSEC countries which had been going through a transition process have now been successfully integrated with the international political and economic system and become important partners of regional cooperation.

Over 20 years of its foundation, BSEC has stood the test of time and proved itself as a reliable institution bringing together peoples of different cultures and religions.

Today, BSEC has a key role to play in building bridges between Europe and Asia that spur economic dynamism in Eurasia. At the same time BSEC serves as a useful tool in connecting the Balkans and Caucasia by vital transport and trade projects in order to transform the Black Sea Region into a field of peace, stability and prosperity. Strengthening the role of the Organization as an active and reliable partner in regional and international affairs should always be our priority task.

As a founding member and the host country of BSEC, Turkey will do its utmost for achieving the common goals and progressingour cooperation on the priority areas identified in the 20thAnniversary Istanbul Summit Declaration as well as in the priorities of the Turkish Chairmanship.

A sustainable BSEC is important for all of us. As it is pointed out in our priorities, we should improve our interaction in all its dimensions including inter-governmental, inter-parliamentary, business, financial, academic and civil society as a whole.

Distinguished Colleagues,

In the promotion of peace, security and stability, we support projects aimed at building bridges among diverse cultures andreligions. In this regard, we are pleased that BSEC has become a member of the Group of Friends of the United Nations’ Alliance of Civilizations co-chaired by Turkey and Spain. The Turkish Chairmanship is ready to launch an initiative for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alliance of Civilizations.

We also value the UN General Assembly resolutions on BSEC and attribute a special importance to cooperation with the UN bodies. Therefore, we are pleased that new draft resolution reflecting the recent developments as well as offering new areas of cooperation with the UN will be adopted at the 67th General Assembly. We hope that this resolution will pave the way to open new avenues of cooperation with the UN. The ongoing projects with the UNDP, UNIDO and the UNODC are good examples which need to be further developed. We look forward to receiving proposals of joint projects from all BSEC partners.

Excellencies,

In concluding my remarks, I wish to reiterate my Government’s expectation from all Member States for their valuable contributions towards further strengthening our cooperation during our term of Office for ensuring prosperity in our region.

Thank you for your kind attention.