BSEC Ministerial Conference
Sofia, 28 May 2010
INTERVENTION
By
Prof. Ahmet E. Kıdeyş
Executive Director
Permanent Secretariat/Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution
Dolmabahçe Sarayı, 2 Hareket Köşkü, 34353 Beşiktaş, İstanbul, Turkey
ahmet.kideys@blacksea-commission.org
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank both the BSEC Secretariat and the host country for the warm welcome and smooth arrangements.
The Black Sea Commission is the intergovernmental body established for the implementation of the Bucharest Convention to protect the Black Sea ecosystem. This ecosystem is exceptionally unique but at the same time very sensitive as it is almost an enclosed basin.
The major environmental problems, such as overfishing, eutrophication, pollution and biodiversity loss, are all transboundary which makes the cooperation not a choice but the only option. Because of strong basin wide coastal currents, everything can be transported speedily anywhere and hence no single country could overcome these problems alone which were further exemplified by an invasive jellyfish problem in the late 1980s. The Black Sea ecosystem was then in a worse condition.
The Contracting Parties of the Bucharest Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, i.e. 6 coastal countries, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, The Russian Federation, Georgia and Turkey through the Black Sea Commission, have been rather active and made significant progress in the environmental management of the Black Sea in the last years. The last State of Environment report of the Black Sea Commission indicates that the Black Sea ecosystem is becoming healthier; thanks to the efficient international collaboration. Although an observer to the Black Sea Commission, the assistance of the EC has been very important in this success. One of the many projects we are undertaking right now with the support of the EC is for dealing with intentional or accidental oil spills in the Black Sea. The importance of such project is especially clear considering the oil platform accident in Mexico Bay.
Distinguished delegates
Lastly I would like to underline the fact that environment is not an area of competition but of a sincere cooperation.
Sharing this idea, we will pursue working together with BSEC and all relevant international organisations as well as other stakeholders in dealing with the environmental challenges of the Black Sea
Thank you for your attention.
