BSEC SECGEN PUSHES FOR ACTIVE U.S. ROLE

UNCLAS ANKARA 006066 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECIN ETRD PREL TU SUBJECT: BSEC SECGEN PUSHES FOR ACTIVE U.S. ROLE REF: ISTANBUL 1603 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. ¶1. (SBU) In a September 27 meeting with Charge, Ambassador Tedo Japaridze was delighted that Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) "senior officials" had agreed to U.S. observer status in the organization. This would make his job of making BSEC a more effective organization. He said the decision would be formalized at the upcoming BSEC Ministerial in Chisinau October 25- ¶26. ¶2. (SBU) Japaridze said it would send a useful signal if the United States, perhaps represented by the U.S. Mission in Chisinau, could participate in the Ministerial. For the longer term, Japaridze saw potential for a U.S. role in BSEC's energy, transportation, and "soft security" agendas and urged us to work with the incoming BSEC chair, Romania, to find areas for fruitful interaction. MCELDOWNEY