PABSEC Participation in the 30th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, 30 August 2021
Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, and Mr. Miltiadis Makrygiannis, PABSEC Deputy Secretary General, took part in the 30th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), which was held online on 30 August 2021.
The Conference was opened by Mr. Andreas Norlen, President of the Riksdag of the Kingdom of Sweden. The Conference was also addressed by Ms. Ann Linde, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, and Mr. Piri Niemi, President of the BSPC (Sweden). The Conference was attended by over 150 participants, including parliamentarians from the BSPC member countries, as well as representatives of local legislative bodies, international organizations and academic community.
The Conference was dedicated to the topic “Sustainable Democracy - How to Face a Changing World”. The participants also discussed the issues of cooperation in the Baltic region, strengthening inclusive democracy, climate change and biodiversity. The Conference concluded with the adoption of the Resolution.
In his speech, Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, noted the significance of the regional inter-parliamentary organizations in world politics and underlined that the parliamentary component of interstate relations is becoming an increasingly important factor in resolving urgent problems. The PABSEC Secretary General informed about the current activities of the PABSEC and welcomed the strengthening of cooperation between the PABSEC and the BSPC also through the joint events. Mr. Hajiyev spoke about the very topical problem of refugees, which became a concern for the European countries, especially today, in the context of the events in Afghanistan. He said that in the 21st century, people should not be abandoned to their fate and expressed the hope that all countries in the world, including the countries of the Black Sea and Baltic regions, unite their capabilities and efforts for the solution of that urgent matter.
Within the framework of the 30th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference, a special session was held with the participation of all previous BSPC Presidents, who spoke about the work done and highly appreciated the results of inter-parliamentary cooperation in the Baltic region. The speakers expressed their hope for more effective cooperation in the region and beyond.