Tag: BSEC

  • What about Turkey? How the country is fairing with fighting neighbors, failed EU negotiations and the Black Sea.

    What about Turkey? How the country is fairing with fighting neighbors, failed EU negotiations and the Black Sea.

    What about Turkey? How the country is fairing with fighting neighbors, failed EU negotiations and the Black Sea.

    Catherine Stupp | The Christian Science Monitor | Jan 07, 2013

    Its protracted bid to join the European Union remains stalled and its “zero problems” policy in the Middle East is cracking over support for Syria’s opposition. But one foreign policy front retains promise for Turkey: the Black Sea.

    Nowhere is it more evident than the busy industrial city of Trabzon in northeastern Turkey, a regional trade hub because of its location on roads that connect it to both Istanbul and other cities to the east. The cobblestone streets of the city center are bustling with buses and private cars carrying passengers to Georgia, only 125 miles to the northeast, as well as trucks shipping goods across the region via the highway that cuts through the city.

    If plans for a highway connecting the 12 countries bordering the Black Sea go forward, Trabzon’s growth – and Turkey’s growing stance as a regional leader – is poised to surge.

    Turkey’s Black Sea coast, far from its tumultuous southern border, offers a promising contrast its more troubled efforts to join the EU and to expand networks in the Middle East. Ankara has emerged as the dominant initiator of regional cooperation, institutionalized by the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), which was founded on the heels of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

    Filling the Soviet vacuum

    Although Turkey was one of 10 founding members, it played a leading role in BSEC’s establishment, and the organization’s permanent headquarters is still located in Istanbul.

    BSEC’s early years were dominated by “Turkey’s initiative to offer these countries an alternative” to their socialist economic systems, says Traian Chebeleu, a former Romanian ambassador and current deputy secretary of BSEC’s transportation activities. In 1992, the same year BSEC was founded, Turkey launched its foreign aid program for developing countries, the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), which, in its early phases, focused on assisting the newly independent Central Asian and Caucasus states.

    Today, the Black Sea states are hoping that projects like the Black Sea Ring Highway will further stimulate trade and economic cooperation. Trade within the region rebounded rapidly from a decline in 2009, while trade with the EU recovered at a slower rate. Countries here may be beginning to see interregional outreach as more beneficial than looking outward to their less stable neighbors. While road travel between BSEC states grew at a rate of 40.8 percent between 2007 and 2011, travel between BSEC states and the EU lagged behind somewhat, growing 36.3 percent.

    The highway project is still in development stages, but four lanes of traffic wrapping through 12 countries would be a boon for trade and tourism — or at least that’s what BSEC, the initiator of the project, hopes. The partnership holds both the promise of bolstering existing alliances and testing lingering tensions.

    Trade already booming

    Although BSEC attempts to harmonize trade regulations of its different member states, it’s difficult to measure what direct effects the organization has had on trade within the region.

    For Turkey, the construction project could be the first step in a realignment of its foreign policy. Its northern border along the Black Sea coast is vast, and recent efforts to repair strains between Turkey and Russia suggest that this region is becoming increasingly important for Turkey.

    After Russia, Turkey is the region’s biggest exporter. While Russia and some other BSEC members like Azerbaijan and Ukraine primarily export oil, Turkey’s main exports are textiles and machinery, says Ussal Şahbaz, an economist at The Economic Policy Research Foundation (TEPAV) in Ankara.

    According to Mr. Şahbaz, the ring highway would make transport of goods faster and more efficient. “Over the years maritime transport has declined in relative terms, and railway and highway transport have regained importance. If you ship from China to Europe, it takes 1-1/2 months, whereas if you use highways or railways, it takes 10 days or so.”

    Although BSEC organized the Black Sea Ring Highway Caravan in 2007, a kind of “test run” in which industrial-sized trucks traveled more than 4,660 miles through most member states, not all routes of the ring highway have been built, nor have they been agreed upon.

    The construction of roads is already complete in Turkey and Greece, but the other 10 member states have yet to build their parts of the highway. At the moment, road transport between the Black Sea states is hampered by long waits at border crossings and high fees or other bureaucratic hurdles for truck drivers applying for visas.

    Mr. Chebeleu, the deputy secretary, says that the organization hopes to agree on a time frame for construction by 2014. In his office in the seaside villa that houses the BSEC secretariat, tucked away in the affluent Istanbul neighborhood of Emirgan, Chebeleu talks about the challenge such conflicts pose to their work.

    Regional rivalries

    Russia and Georgia pose the biggest challenge, although the 2008 war between the two has been far from the only hindrance. The war, Chebeleu says, only “added to the problems.”

    Determining a route that can connect the two countries is complicated by territorial disputes. Russia has proposed that the highway pass through Abkhazia, which Russia recognizes as an independent state, but Georgia and the international community consider it Georgian territory. Moldova and Ukraine have had similarly fraught disputes over whether the highway should cut through the disputed area of Transnistria.

    But Chebeleu insists that there is a willingness to find solutions, not only because of the potential economic benefits of BSEC’s projects, but because of the political benefits of economic cooperation for a region dealing with a number of internal conflicts. “Of course it depends on what the member states want, and that nobody interferes in their decisions, but we all want to accept whatever decision they find appropriate for themselves.”

    As a major trade partner for many Black Sea states with comparably smaller economies, Turkey’s participation is critical. The transport route can only directly connect the Caucasus states to the EU and Balkan countries if it runs along Turkey’s northern coast. With the promise a new transportation network along the Black Sea holds for Turkey, its role would seem almost assured, but it is pursuing other avenues for bolstering its regional economic influence as well.

    “While promoting the Black Sea Ring Highway on the one hand, Turkey also endeavors to establish its own transportation network consisting of bilateral units,” extending its regional flight networks and increasing its oversight of marine transportation in the Black Sea, says Selcuk Colakoglu, adviser to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Center for Strategic Research.

    If ongoing disputes among BSEC members can be quelled and construction of the highway goes forward, Turkey could be well-positioned as the geographic and economic backbone of a lucrative new trade network.

  • Turkey vows to build stronger ties between Black Sea countries

    Turkey vows to build stronger ties between Black Sea countries

    State Minister Bülent Arınç has stated that the government has taken important steps towards solving political problems with neighbors, improving economic ties with regional countries and eliminating obstacles to free travel among these countries, as part of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

    State Minister Bülent Arınç offered a gift to KEIPA Turkey Delegation President Kemalettin Göktaş.
    State Minister Bülent Arınç offered a gift to KEIPA Turkey Delegation President Kemalettin Göktaş.

    Arınç was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Black Sea Business Forum on Tuesday, organized by the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly (KEİPA), Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) and the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency.

    He said the 12 members of the Black Sea Business Forum are there in order to improve the welfare of all the people living near the Black Sea.

    He said the two countries belonged to two rival camps and were opposed to each other during the Cold War era.

    However, this has changed dramatically and currently Russia and Turkey have become countries that work for common goals, the minister added. “The KEİPA, which was established 17 years ago, played an important role in changing the situation between the countries,” said Arınç.

    The Black Sea Business Forum has brought together 650 businessmen from 12 Black Sea countries. More than 1,800 business discussions among the participating companies took place, resulting in fruitful deals. The forum will repeat every year to reinvigorate the trade potential in the region, the forum’s organizers say

    Arınç stated that they aim to be the world’s 10th largest economy by 2023, when the 100th anniversary of the republic will be celebrated. “This is Turkey’s goal and we, as the Black Sea region, should also work towards that target.

    It is not easy to achieve economic goals within this region but if we work closely with our neighbors, I am pretty sure we will achieve what we set out to do,” said Arınç.

    Moreover, the state minister said the Turkish government has taken important steps towards solving political problems with the neighbors, improving the economic ties with the regional countries and the removing obstacles for unrestricted travel among these countries, as part of the BSEC.

    “It would be much easier for our businessmen if BSEC member countries Russia, Serbia and Albania removed their visa requirements,” said Arınç.

    A huge potential

    TUSKON President Rızanur Meral, in his speech, asserted that the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Council (BSECC) was the start of an organized, meaningful trade in the region and added: “Turkey conducted 15.8 percent of its exports to the countries in this region in 2009 while 21.6 percent of its imports were from these countries.

    We think the trade figures, which have retreated due to the global crisis in the recent years, will rise again in the period ahead and that Turkey will increase its trade with the countries in the Black Sea basin to $100 billion per year.”

    With a total of 8,350 kilometers of shoreline and covering an area of 461,000 square kilometers, the Black Sea region has the second largest energy resources in the world, after the Middle East and is the most significant energy transportation and passage corridor, Meral noted. Besides, he said the region has always been an important center of attraction between Europe and the Middle East with its rich natural resources, arable fields and developing industrial structure.

    Meral further stated that the Black Sea region showed an annual growth rate of 6 percent, on average, between the years 2000-2009, which makes it the second-fastest growing region in the world after the Asia-Pacific.

    He said they, as TUSKON, are working hard to improve the relationships between the Black Sea countries and to increase trade. “We think it is reasonable to repeat the Black Sea Business Forum every year since this will provide energy for the business world and help to improve economic activities between the neighboring countries,” said Meral.

    The TUSKON president mentioned that 650 businessmen from Black Sea countries came together thanks to the Black Sea Business Forum. He added that there will be more than 1,800 business discussions among the participating companies after the forum.

    “I hope this business forum will result in profitable business opportunities and that the businessmen in the Black Sea region will get involved in more partnerships and that this meeting will lead to a more permanent friendship between the countries,” said Meral.

    03 November 2010, Wednesday

    TODAY’S ZAMAN  İSTANBUL

  • Turkey and Armenia Delay Re-opening the Border

    Turkey and Armenia Delay Re-opening the Border

    Turkey and Armenia Delay Re-opening the Border

    Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 6 Issue: 74
    April 17, 2009 02:27 PM Age: 5 min
    Category: Eurasia Daily Monitor, Home Page, Turkey
    By: Saban Kardas

    On April 16 Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan attended the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Foreign Ministers Council in Yerevan. Following his BSEC meetings, Babacan discussed the recent developments between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. President Barack Obama’s historic visit to Turkey earlier this month had triggered media speculation that Ankara would deepen its rapprochement with Armenia despite Yerevan’s differences with Baku. Some claimed that Turkey might announce the re-opening of its border with Armenia during Babacan’s visit to Yerevan (Wall Street Journal, April 2). However, political realities have since diminished expectations for a rapid breakthrough.

    Concerned that it might lose its leverage on Armenia as a result of any thaw in Ankara-Yerevan relations, Baku raised objections. Moreover, the prospects that Turkey might “betray” Azerbaijan generated domestic uproar against the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, with opposition parties and civil society organizations organizing activities to demonstrate support with their Azeri brethren (EDM, April 9). As a result, Ankara took steps to reassure Baku that any Turkish-Armenian normalization would not come at the expense of Azerbaijan (EDM, April 10). After fast-tracking the negotiations with Armenia over the past year, the process has now stalled.

    Armenia’s President Sarksyan further fuelled discussions within Turkey when he reportedly claimed that the border might re-open before his visit to the country in October (www.ntvmsnbc.com, April 10). Responding to Sarksyan’s remarks, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan clarified Turkey’s position by stating that unless a solution was found on the Karabakh issue, Turkey would not take additional steps toward opening the border (Radikal, April 11).

    Babacan told reporters on his way to Yerevan, that Turkey was seeking a comprehensive solution to regional problems. He said that efforts to normalize relations must connect the process between Turkey and Armenia with Yerevan’s ties with Baku. “We do not say, let’s first solve one problem and solve the other later,” Babacan added (Today’s Zaman, April 17). 

    Babacan’s remarks served to reiterate Turkey’s position that the re-opening of the border with Armenia must be linked to the resolution of Armenian-Azerbaijani territorial issues, which he also repeated during his meetings in Yerevan. Babacan held talks with Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, part of which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He had separate discussions with Lavrov and Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad Guliev on regional issues (Anadolu Ajansi, April 16). Although the Turkish media claimed that Babacan, Sarksyan, Nalbandian and Lavrov also held a joint meeting, this was denied in an April 17 statement issued by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry (www.trt.net.tr, April 17).

    The Turkish press reported that during his closed talks with Sarksyan, Babacan said that Ankara will not take any steps that might disappoint Baku. The parties also agreed that the Turkish-Armenian negotiations would continue at political and technical levels. Moreover, Babacan reasserted Turkey’s continued support for the parallel talks between Sarksyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (Hurriyet, April 17).

    Speaking to reporters in Yerevan, Guliev repeated Azerbaijan’s position that Ankara needs to protect Baku’s interests while conducting its rapprochement with Armenia. Any progress, in his view must be conditional, based on Yerevan’s cooperation in talks over Karabakh. The Armenian side, however, has resisted attempts to link the two sets of talks. Responding to a question during the BSEC press briefing, although he expressed his hope that the border might be opened soon, Nalbandian noted that no agreement was reached. He also said that the current negotiations for the resolution of the Karabakh dispute was being carried out within the framework of the Minsk process (www.cnnturk.com, April 16). 

    The AKP government places considerable value on Turkish-Armenian diplomacy, which it views as part of its overall policy to resolve problems with its neighbors. The re-opening of the border and the normalization of relations with Armenia will have a symbolic foreign policy meaning for the AKP, showing that its “multi-dimensional” theme justifies closer ties with all of Turkey’s neighbors, rather than only prioritizing the Middle East. Indeed, a settlement of the disputes with Armenia will help Ankara remove the Armenian “genocide” claims from the table in its relations with the United States.

    Despite an internationally favorable environment for the AKP’s policies, however, the re-opening of the border will be challenging. Ankara postponed such a politically risky decision, hoping that in the meantime it will alleviate Azerbaijan’s concerns. Indeed, since the beginning of the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, Ankara’s calculations have hinged on the assumption that it could convince Azerbaijan’s government to resolve its own problems with Armenia -removing Baku’s veto. However, Azerbaijan appears determined to resist pressures to remove its objections, unless Armenia relaxes its position on Karabakh.

    Recognizing that both Washington and Moscow remain significant players in the region, Ankara also seeks their support as leverage on Yerevan. Yet, as Turkey attempts to buy time to remove Baku’s objections, it risks jeopardizing Armenia’s commitment to the talks. The stalling of the process “has left Armenian politicians and pundits questioning the wisdom of further overtures to the Turks” (EDM, April 14). Against this background, the recent agreement between Yerevan and Tehran to construct a railway connecting Armenia to Iran’s Persian Gulf was interpreted by the Turkish media as Yerevan’s “Plan B” (Hurriyet, April 16). Through such projects Armenia could ease the economic consequences of the Turkish-Azeri embargo, which might undermine one of Ankara’s arguments that Yerevan badly needs normalization with Turkey in order to secure access to the outside world.

    https://jamestown.org/program/turkey-and-armenia-delay-re-opening-the-border/