THESSALONIKI - Mustafa Gurtin, the Chairman of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank said on Monday that the final target of the Bank was to ensure the economic integration among Black Sea countries.
Addressing the annual meeting of the Bank held in Thessaloniki city of Greece, Gurtin said that they would increase the economic integration and cooperation among member countries and encourage the trade and investment among regional countries.
Gurtin said in the meeting which was also called ''Black Sea Business Day,'' that the operational aims of the Bank was to encourage commercial relations in the region, projects among countries, direct investment and to ensure a sustainable employment in member states.
Gurtin noted that they also targeted the economic development of member countries, adding that the Bank could support projects of telecommunication, manufacture, transportation, energy, natural resources and construction of new production capacities, reconstruction and privatization.
Turkish-Eurasian Business Council's Chairman Tugrul Erkin said in his part that the total amount of the investments of Turkey in Central Asian countries was 7 billion dollars.
Addressing the meeting, Erkin said that Eurasian Region was very important, adding that Black Sea region had a great economic potential.
Black Sea region, which was in a strategic region between the east and the west, and that the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in this framework meant a geography of 20 million square kilometers, 325 millions of consumer potential and an annual foreign trade worth of more than 300 billion dollars.
Noting that the average gross domestic product per capita was 2100 U.S. dollars, Erkin said that regional countries deserved more prosperity.
Erkin stressed that Turkey was effective in Black Sea region, adding that Turkey had significant investment in Russia and Azerbaijan. Erkin said Turkey was also interested in making investment in Albania among Balkan countries, adding that Turkish investors particularly focused on textile sector in Bulgaria. Erkin stated that small and medium scale enterprises of Turkey were active in Romania. Erkin stated that they were trading mainly goods with Greece, adding that Turkey regarded Greece as a strategic partner in the region.
Meanwhile a memorandum of understanding between the Bank, international finance organizations and European Union (EU) was signed within the scope of the meeting. The aim of the memorandum of understanding is to support projects in Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania which are official candidates of EU and which are members of the Bank. The memorandum of understanding will also support Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania in their EU process and that projects of infrastructure, energy, small and medium scale enterprises and environmental protection will be supported.
International observers who attended the meeting said that the Bank became very important for the region, adding that the Bank was the only international development bank in which G-7 group was not included.
(Öª) 02.06.2003