The Republic of Moldova completed its duties as the chair of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC). Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, together with secretary of state Vladimir Cuc, chaired the 45th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of BSEC Member States, IPN reports.

“In the ministerial meeting, we said that our country as a founding state of BSEC, under its acting chairmanship, pursued the goal of promoting cooperation in areas related to the sustainable economic development of the region. We firmly believe that the observance of all the principles of international law, such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, is the key element in ensuring relations of trust between the states,” stated Nicu Popescu, being quoted in a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to him, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine significantly affected the functionality of BSEC and the joint efforts to promote prosperity and economic growth in the region.  

In the meeting, the ministers exchanged opinions on the situation in the region and the priorities of the Organization’s agenda and approved the BSEC budget for 2023 and some of the decisions needed to ensure the functionality of this regional body.

Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu wished success to the counterparts from Serbia, which will hold the acting chairmanship of BSEC in the first half of 2023.