Dear forum participants!

I cordially welcome and congratulate you on the opening of the first forum of nongovernmental organizations of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization.

This year marks 20 years of the creation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization. Over the past period, the organization has made a worthy contribution to the deepening of political and economic relations between member countries and expanding regional cooperation on a large area stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Seas.

The initiative towards consolidating the efforts of nongovernmental organizations of member-countries in order to provide public support for the development of relations between BSEC member-states is a positive development. At the present stage, when the trend of globalization and democratic changes have become widespread, the influence of civil society institutions on the processes taking place in local, regional and international formats has significantly expanded. They play a role in defending peace and security, strengthening the ties between nations and in large-scale projects. BSEC nongovernmental organizations can also make a valuable contribution to the multinational energy, transport, communication and other projects jointly implemented in our region, to the expansion of public, political and economic relations among member-countries.

I do hope that nongovernmental organizations participating in the forum, based on the positive experience acquired in our region, will hold fruitful discussions and make appropriate decisions to identify key areas for further work, its forms and methods. I wish the forum every success, and each participant good health and happiness.

Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku city, 26 November 2012.