The National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria is to host the 41st plenary sitting of the General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) from 9 to 11 July 2013. The forum is to be held at the National Palace of Culture. This was the occasion for the Parliament’s Chair Mihail Mikov to hold meeting with Kiril Tretyak, Secretary General of BSEC, on July 5th 2013.

The meeting will be attended by parliamentary delegations from 12 member-countries of BSEC. 128 parliamentarians, guests and observers of other parliamentary assemblies, among them the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, other national parliaments and international organizations will take part.

The official opening will take place on July 10th, 2013 at 10.00 h. at Hall 3 of the National Palace of Culture.

The President of the National Assembly, Mihail Mikov, will deliver the opening address. Welcoming addresses will be delivered also by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev and the President of PABSEC and Foreign Minister of Armenia, Eduard Nalbandian.

Jean Claude Mignian, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, will address the participants in the forum.
The 41st plenary session of the General Assembly will mark the 20th anniversary of BSEC Organization and will report on the results reached in the period of the Bulgarian presidency of the organization.

The key topic to be discussed at the forum will be the Tourism as an important factor for economic cooperation and development in the Black Sea Region. The delegates will discuss the advantages and prospects for cooperation in the post graduate education between the universities of the member-countries of BSEC.

A press conference is scheduled on July 11th, 3013 at 13.00 h. in Hall 3 of the National Palace of Culture.

The Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC is the parliamentary dimension of the Organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation – the only regional international organization in the Black Sea Region.

12 countries are currently members of  PABSEC – Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. The priorities of the organization are based on the understanding that the more active economic, bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the Black Sea region contributes not only to the development of the member-countries but to overcoming conflicts between the states and different ethnic groups.

The PABSEC was created on 26 February 1993 as an operational and effective instrument of the parliaments for economic cooperation in the Black Sea region.

Detailed information on the program and the participants in the forum will be published on the website of the National Assembly under the section “PABSEC”