Leaders of Black Sea nations to discuss trade ties

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ISTANBUL, June 23 (AFP): The leaders of 12 countries in the Black Sea region, among them Russian President Vladimir Putin, will gather here Monday to discuss projects aimed at boosting trade and economic cooperation.
The summit of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) marks the 15th anniversary of the body, founded in 1992 following the collapse of the communist bloc to promote stability and economic ties between nations who belonged to opposite camps during the cold war.
The members of the group are the six Black Sea littoral states-Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine -- as well as Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Greece, Moldova and Serbia.
The host country Turkey, which currently chairs the group, says it wants to give a new impetus to the organisation and is calling for increased efforts in the areas of transport, energy, trade, environmental protection and combatting organised crime.
One of the major objectives on the BSEC agenda is upgrading transport infrastructure as a means of boosting trade and tourism, including projects for a 7,500-kilometre ring road along the Black Sea coast and regular maritime links between the ports of member states.
Removing legal barriers to trade is another priority, with a special meeting on the issue scheduled for September.