Outline of Discussions

Summary of “The Japan-Wider Black Sea Area Dialogue”

Excerpt from the Winter 2006 issue of “The Global Forum of Japan Bulletin,”

            The Global Forum of Japan co-hosted, together with the International Center for Black Sea Studies etc., “The Japan-Wider Black Sea Area Dialogue” on 27th and 28th of November 2005 in Tokyo. The theme was “Peace and Prosperity of the Wider Black Sea Area and the Role of Japan.” The event was supported by the Japan Foundation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Yomiuri Shimbun and others.

            There were fourteen participants from such countries as Ukraine, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and Russia, among whom were a former Defense Minister from Rumania and a former Foreign Minister from Georgia, while there were also fourteen participants from Japan including Mr. HARADA Chikahito, Director General of the European Affairs Bureau of MOFA and Prof. ITO Kenichi, President of the Global Forum of Japan.

            This “Dialogue” was first proposed by the Black Sea Area side and followed up by the Japan side through a year of preparation, resulting in the successful “First Dialogue” between Japan and the Black Sea Area countries. The “Dialogue” was composed of the three Sessions of “Functional Cooperation,” “Big Power Strategy,” and “Japan’s Role.”

            First, Mr. Mustafa AKSIN, Chairman of the International Center for Black Sea Studies, stated, “After the end of the Cold War Turkey has taken initiative to promote economic cooperation in the Black Sea Area, and in 1992 the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) was established with the membership of six littoral and six non-littoral states.”

            Then, Mr. Tedo JAPARIDZE, Secretary General of the Organization of BSEC, reported the achievements of regional cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, environment, trade, economic development, tourism, agriculture, science and technology, democratization, human rights, anti-drug trafficking, control of arms smuggling, counter-terrorism, etc.

            Further, Mr. Ioan Mircea PASCU, former National Defense Minister of Rumania, reminded the participants of the strategic importance of the Black Sea Area from the ancient times as a cross roads intersected by the East-West corridor connecting Europe with Central Asia and the North-South corridor connecting Russia with Middle East. Then he referred to the strategic importance of the Area today as a corridor for passage of oil and natural gas produced in the Caspian Sea. Finally he added that Japanese enterprises had already invested in the Area for the development of energy projects.

            Amb. Solmaz ÜNAYDIN of Turkey stressed that the economic growth rate of this Area in the year of 2004 was as high as 7 percent. Mr. Sergei GONCHARENKO, Deputy Director of Economic Affairs Department of Russian Foreign Ministry, asked Japanese investors to pay attention to the plan to build networks of electric power supply and automobile high ways covering the entire region.

            Finally, Secretary General JAPARIDZE requested Japan to apply for an observer status in BSEC. In response, Director General HARADA assured that he would positively study the matter.