MOSCOW, October 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yakovenko said Thursday that Russia considered the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) to be a unique collective mechanism for promoting cooperation and stability in the Black Sea region.
Yakovenko told a news conference on the eve of a BSEC foreign ministers' meeting in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, that new cooperation issues, including the fight against terrorism and organized crime, along with dealing with natural disasters and infectious diseases, would be given heightened attention as will developing the transportation infrastructure in the region to connect it with Europe and Asia.
The Council of Foreign Ministers is the supreme authority for BSEC, which comprises Russia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Serbia and Montenegro and Ukraine.