Ambassador's Remarks
Remarks by US Ambassador Ross Wilson at Black Sea Economic Cooperation Summit
Istanbul, Turkey
June 25, 2007
It is a great pleasure to represent the United States of America at the summit of the organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
On behalf of the President, I extend through all of you sincere greetings to the Heads of State and Government gathered here and congratulations on the occasion of this 15th anniversary meeting hosted by our long-time friend, the Republic of Turkey.
It is fitting that BSEC returns to the site of its first summit, a crossroads for the region and the world. As Istanbul, and Constantinople before it, have led this part of the world for nearly 2000 years, so again this city is poised to lead a new birth of prosperity and peace for the greater Black Sea region and its 350 million people.
BSEC belongs to its members. The United States is only an observer, but not a disinterested one. This region is important, and we regard this organization as a key instrument for responsible nations working together to build better lives for their people.
We deeply appreciate the work of Secretary General Chrysanthopoulos to reinvigorate BSEC by focusing on concrete projects and to promote engagement with other regional organizations, especially the European Union. Our work aims to support these goals.
• The US Agency for International Development, through its Black Sea Regional Electricity Transmission Planning Project, is helping develop an integrated regional electricity grid. Similarly, we support the development throughout the region of new oil and gas resources and a diverse and competitive infrastructure to bring those resources to the international marketplace. This diverse energy infrastructure will be good for economic growth, security of energy supply, and inter-state harmony.
• We are planning with the Secretariat a symposium in September on environmental protection. It will bring government, business, and NGO representatives from throughout the region to Istanbul to assess best practices and environmental protection efforts that can enhance development and trade.
• We contributed $10 million to the German Marshall Fund’s Black Sea Trust, which will provide grants to local NGOs to promote democratic and civil society development and the rule of law.
• Through exercises and training with countries in the region, we have encouraged civilian and military cooperation on emergency planning and preparedness, improved port security, and the development of compatible, trade-friendly maritime standards.
In this region of promise and opportunity, there are of course many problems. The great highway for spreading commerce and ideas that the Black Sea represents is still too hindered by bureaucracy and red tape to achieve its trade potential. On the other hand, terrorists and criminal gangs can exploit that highway to move weapons, drugs, and people for illicit, dangerous ends. Many states that are still fairly new in fact or new in exercising real independence have a lot of work to do to develop effective institutions of governance.
Safe borders, rule of law, healthy economies and free societies based on democratic institutions and respect for human rights do not happen overnight. They require long-term effort and commitment and a peaceful, harmonious international environment. The Black Sea has a future as bright and beautiful as its shores. BSEC is fulfilling its promise as a regional mechanism to mutually reinforce good policies and for cooperation in rooting out problems, and the United States is pleased to support those efforts.
Thank you.