CHARTER OF THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION

The Founding Members of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation - the Republic of Albania, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Bulgaria, Georgia, the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Turkey, and Ukraine,

HAVING signed on 25 June 1992 in Istanbul the "Summit Declaration on Black Sea Economic Cooperation",

CONFIRMING their adherence to the principles and objectives of cooperation stated therein as well as in the "Bosphorus Statement" of 25 June 1992, the "Bucharest Statement of the High Level Meeting of the BSEC Participating States" of 30 June 1995, and the "Moscow Declaration of the Heads of State or Government of the Participating States of the BSEC" of 25 October 1996,

REAFFIRMING their adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Paris Charter for a New Europe as well as the generally recognized principles and rules of international law,

DETERMINED to promote a lasting and closer cooperation among the states of the BSEC Region,

CONSCIOUS of the growing role and importance of regional initiatives in promoting progress and shaping contemporary international life,