Ukraine begins presidency in BSEC

"The 36th meeting of the Council of Ministers concluded with the ceremony where Turkey handed over the presidency in the Organization [BSEC] to Ukraine for the next six-month period, which will begin on July 1, 2017," the report said.

Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko stressed that Russia's aggressive policy had become an obstacle to effective cooperation between the countries and noted that Ukraine's presidency will focus on the problems of economic cooperation in times of a security crisis in the region.

Read alsoTurkey’s low-cost air carrier to enter Ukrainian market"Among the priorities of the Ukrainian presidency in the BSEC is the implementation of multilateral regional projects, in particular in the field of transport. In this regard, Ukraine expects to hold a meeting of transport ministers and a number of events at the expert level," the report said.

UNIAN memo. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization is a sub-regional association of 12 countries of the Black Sea region (Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Greece, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine). The organization was created to established close economic cooperation of the participating countries, free movement of goods, capital, services and labor, as well as the integration of the countries' economies into the world economy. The headquarters of the organization is in Istanbul.