28th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Member States was held on 21 June 2013 in Odessa

28^th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States was held on 21 June 2013 in Odessa with the participation of the representatives of the BSEC Member States, Related Bodies, BSEC Observers and Sectoral Dialogue Partners.

The Council noted the importance of the Black Sea Ring Highway project and the development of the Motorways of the Sea in the BSEC Region in contributing the increase of trade, which has a positive impact on the economies of the Region.

The Council appreciated the cooperation between the Observers and Sectoral Dialogue Partners of the BSEC Organization and underlined the importance of BSEC’s interaction with the EU.

The Council approved the draft Memorandum of Understanding between BSEC and the International Union of Railways, which will be signed in the second half of 2013.

The Council also noted the Report the Meeting of the BSEC Ministers in charge of Economy held in Yalta on 23 May 2013 and the Meeting of the Ministers of Transport of the BSEC Member States held in Odessa on 29 May 2013, in which joint declarations were adopted.

The joint declaration adopted at the Meeting of the BSEC Ministers in charge of Economy, mainly concentrated on liberalization of trade within BSEC and elimination of non-tariff trade barriers in the region, as well as harmonization of customs and border-crossing procedures.

The joint declaration adopted at the Meeting of the Ministers of Transport highlighted the importance of simplification of cross-border control procedures through implying a single unified document on intermodal transportation in the region.

In a conclusion, Ukraine handed over the Chairmanship-in-Office of BSEC to the Republic of Armenia, which will start of as 1 July 2013 until 31 December 2013.

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