YEREVAN, DECEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. At the course of the visit to Greece, which followed the visit to the Republic of Armenia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu encountered a protest action in Athens organized by the Armenians.

As reports “Armenpress” citing Turkish beyazgundem.com website, over 50 Armenians with flags and posters rallied in front of a building where the Turkish FM held a meeting. The protestors whistled after Ahmet Davutoğlu when he entered the building and left it. A vast number of security agents accompanied Ahmet Davutoğlu, when he was leaving the building after the meeting.

Previously it was reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu arrived in Yerevan’s Armenia Marriot Hotel from the back door on December 12. A number of protestors gathered in front of the hotel singing patriotic songs, as well as shouting “Shame! Shame!” In a conversation with “Armenpress” representative of the Yerevan office of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) Arthur Ghazaryan stated that they demand from Turkey to stop illegal actions against Armenia.

Among other things the representative of the Yerevan office of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) underscored: “The visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey to Yerevan is a good opportunity to voice about our claims – recognition, condemnation, and reparation.”

The Nikol Aghbalyan Student and Youth Unions, Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D), have initiated a protest action to remind Turkey and the international community that they demand recognition and reparation. Previously the organizers of the protest action issued a statement, which in particular runs as follows: “By this action the unions express their protest saying STOP genocide, STOP denialism, STOP falsification of history, and STOP injustice.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Edward Nalbandian presided over the 29th session of the Foreign Ministers’ Council of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation launched in Yerevan. The delegations from the 12 member-states of the organization, 9 observer states and representatives from the partner countries and other structures as well participated in the meeting.

The Press, Information, and Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia informed “Armenpress” that a wide range of issues have been included in the meeting’s agenda.

At the end of the session the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Edward Nalbandian solemnly handed the BSEC Chairmanship over to Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin.

Becoming a BSEC chairing country on June 21 in Odessa, Armenia was obliged to make additional efforts to increase the BSEC activity efficiency, as well as to contribute to the strengthening of the authority of the Organization in the international platform.

On 25 June 1992, the Heads of State and Government of twelve countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine signed in Istanbul the Summit Declaration and the Bosphorus Statement giving birth to the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

It came into existence as a unique and promising model of multilateral political and economic initiative aimed at fostering interaction and harmony among the Member States, as well as to ensure peace, stability and prosperity encouraging friendly and good-neighborly relations in the Black Sea region.

The BSEC Headquarters - the Permanent International Secretariat of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC PERMIS) - was established in March 1994 in Istanbul.

With the entry into force of its Charter on 1 May 1999, BSEC acquired international legal identity and was transformed into a full-fledged regional economic organization: ORGANIZATION OF THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION. With the accession of Serbia and Montenegro in April 2004, the Organization’s Member States increased to twelve.

BSEC covers a geography encompassing the territories of the Black Sea littoral States, the Balkans and the Caucasus with an area of nearly 20 million square kilometers. The BSEC region is located on two continents. BSEC represents a region of some 350 million people with a foreign trade capacity of over USD 300 billion annually. After the Persian Gulf region, it is the second-largest source of oil and natural gas along with its rich proven reserves of minerals and metals. It is becoming Europe's major transport and energy transfer corridor.

The 29th session of the Foreign Ministers’ Council of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation will take place in Yerevan on December 12, during which the results of the six-month chairmanship of Armenia in the Organization will be summed up. The high ranking delegations of the Organization’s member states will arrive in Yerevan to attend the session. A press conference will follow the 29th session of the Foreign Ministers’ Council of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. At the Ministerial meeting the BSEC chairmanship will pass from Armenia to Bulgaria.