BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 16. Middle Corridor
is among the economically viable routes for deepening regional
collaboration, BSEC Secretary General, Ambassador Lazar Comanescu
said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“Safe and economically viable routes are necessary for deepening
collaboration with regions worldwide, and the Middle Corridor is
one of them. It is a shorter way favorable also in terms of
climatic conditions. BSEC welcomes any initiative enhancing
interconnectivity, as well as high-efficiency and high-trusted
routes connecting the BSEC region with the rest of the world,” he
said.
As for the BSEC`s role in support of enhancing connectivity,
Comanescu mentioned that the new “BSEC Economic Agenda” which is
BSEC’s strategic framework document, includes harmonization of
customs, transport and logistics standards as priority areas for
cooperation.
“We have specific working groups there for, which regularly
convene to consider matters of shared interests and ways to tackle
them. As one of the founding members of our organization the
Republic of Azerbaijan is actively participating in the work of
these working groups contributing to the sustainability of the
region,” said the secretary general.
Talking about the Black Sea Submarine Cable project, which
envisages transportation of green energy to Europe, Comanescu noted
that it is the most welcome initiative.
“The fact that three BSEC Member States, namely Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Romania are actors in this significant project proves
once again the importance of BSEC and the Black Sea region in terms
of energy production, energy security and interconnectivity. That
explains why energy is among the major areas of cooperation of BSEC
Organization and Goal 4 of the BSEC Economic Agenda refers to the
Sustainable Energy and Development of the Black Sea Energy Market.
This includes promoting the development of projects on
interconnection of electric power systems of the BSEC Member
States, as well as enhancing further cooperation with the EU in the
area of energy,” he added.
Comanescu went on to add that BSEC follows closely the global
trends, needs, priorities and commitments.
“It proceeds in line with the UN SDGs and the BSEC Economic
Agenda and adapts itself to the new realities of the world. We
believe that environmentally friendly solutions create healthier
communities and we proceed with this in mind. Investing in
renewable energy is one of the musts in this regard. A key priority
for BSEC defined by the BSEC Economic Agenda which is the
“Sustainable Energy and Development of the Black Sea Energy
Market”. Building upon the “BSEC Green Energy Strategy” which was
adopted on June 2018 we are encouraging cooperation aimed at
enhancing the contributions of renewable energy sources and energy
efficiency improvements between the BSEC Member States in line with
the vision of transforming the BSEC Region into a model for clean
energy by the year 2050,” he said.
Comanescu noted that digitalization is another important issue
that BSEC works on.
“Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Energy,
Tourism, Trade, and Transport are just few of the areas where joint
projects on digital transformation, digital public infrastructure
are being developed,” the secretary general added.
Comanescu pointed out that Azerbaijan is a major BSEC partner in
all areas.
“BSEC has 19 areas of cooperation and is encouraging all Member
States to be actively involved in all these areas. Definitely,
Azerbaijan is an important transport, logistics and energy hub,
with major connectivity projects either starting or passing through
its territory but it is a major BSEC partner in all the other areas
as well. Take for example climate and environment protection which
culminated with Baku hosting in November 2024 the COP29. BSEC, upon
invitation of the Government of Azerbaijan, participated, for the
first time in this important UNFCCC event. Good governance and
efficient delivery of public services is another area of important
Azerbaijan contribution by coordinating the respective BSEC working
group. Sharing the experience gained through the ASAN service
center (State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations
under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan) has been highly
appreciated by the other BSEC member states. I have personally
visited ASAN service center in Baku and got acquainted with its
impressive system and the way it renders services. Tourism,
Culture, Education, ICT, SMEs etc. are areas where further
deepening of cooperation with Azerbaijan would benefit the
Organization,” he said.
Further, the BSEC secretary general called for integrating
connectivity, environmental protection, and green and blue economy
principles into the regional planning.
“The present geopolitical landscape calls for concerted and
coordinated action by all stakeholders if we wish to maximize the
benefits of our efforts. BSEC is both ready and able to contribute
to the implementation of the joint strategic goals. Multilateral
cooperation needs to be reinforced, not weakened. We must integrate
connectivity, environmental protection, and green and blue economy
principles into our regional planning. We must support our
scientific communities, maintain channels of communication, and
expand research partnerships with all our European and
international partners. Above all, we must ensure that the wider
BSEC region is both beneficiary and contributor to such collective
endeavors.
Our commitment remains firm: to work with all International and
Regional Organizations and other Partners to ensure that the Black
Sea is not a zone of risk, but a space of opportunity. Areas like
connectivity, energy, climate, environmental protection, culture,
tourism offer huge opportunities in this respect, as they are high
on the agenda of most of these partners,” he explained.
Comanescu pointed out that BSEC is the only full-fledged and
oldest regional economic intergovernmental organization in the
wider Black Sea region.
“It is covering an area of high geo-political importance
consisting of nearly 20 million km² and a market of some 350
million people. It is a unique and promising platform for regional
and multilateral economic cooperation. It has Member States that
are among the largest producers and exporters of various
commodities around the world. Needless to mention other assets such
as the historical sites and natural beauty of the region. On the
other hand, our region has always been a challenging one throughout
history. Several conflicts among its Member States at different
times had a negative impact on the region’s economy. However, and
despite such difficulties, dialogue was never interrupted. BSEC is
the platform to unite the people of the Black Sea through promoting
peace, stability and prosperity, as well as serving as an important
forum for cooperation in a wide range of domains. We are convinced
that a strong, stable and united region benefits all its
inhabitants and I guess our countries are well aware of that. It
should be always kept in mind that there is an important economic
dimension of security, and that promoting and enhancing economic
cooperation is a most valuable and efficient way to enhance
security,” he concluded.
