Trekkers to walk for anniversary

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

The ‘Six Countries, One Common Sea’ hike around the Black Sea is set to start on Feb 26, 2013.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), founded on February 26, 1993 to foster economic development of the countries bordering the Black Sea, celebrates its 20th anniversary with lively events including a walking marathon and a youth forum to contribute to the cultural exchange between member countries.

A walking group comprised of six people will cover a 5,920 kilometer route around the Black Sea region in 400 days, according to İsmail Safi, the head of the Turkish delegation in the PABSEC.

The long hike, which will kick off on February 26, 2013, is called “Six Countries, One Common Sea.” The goal of the event is to enhance friendship among neighboring Black Sea countries.

The walking marathon will start in Turkey with six trekkers. At every province and country another group of trekkers will accompany the six trekkers who will cover the whole route. The six trekkers will walk nonstop for three or five days and then rest for one day or two or three days in some places.

All the phases of the trekking, experiences, routes and anecdotes about cities and countries passed through will be shared via social media on the Internet. The trekkers will write blogs on their impressions and upload pictures and short videos.

The trekkers will be welcomed by deputies of the visited countries. The trekkers will give tea seedlings as presents to the welcoming committees as a reminder of the Black Sea.

Youth forum
Another event to mark the 20th anniversary of the PABSEC is a four-day youth forum that will be held in the northern province of Rize in September this year.

Seven university and three high school students from each of the 12 member countries will make up a total of 120 forum attendees.

The BSEC Youth Forum will particularly discuss economic and developmental issues.

The PABSEC has adopted a vision to materialize economic cooperation between the member countries through utilizing constructive, dynamic and effective power.

Among the goals of the forum are allowing young people to share their opinions on the BSEC, enabling them to mount their projects to enhance the BSEC, increasing mutual knowledge and interactions among BSEC youth and raising awareness about the BSEC.

The forum will enable the determination of both problems and opportunities that the BSEC has through the eyes of young people, while improving the capacity of cooperation of the youth of member countries. Projects will be set up within the framework of the cooperation in the BSEC to address any problem that may be identified.

Turkey will be promoted as a model country to the BSEC youth at the forum. The forum envisages laying out a youth organization via a flat organization network and maintains strong cooperation between member countries.

Other events
There will be many other events within the scope of the PABSEC Heads of States or Governments Summit held on June 26 in Istanbul.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu takes a close interest in the events of the assembly and puts support behind them.

The PABSEC will hold the Black Sea Academic Forum and the Black Sea NGO Forum. “Black Sea Youth Gather in Rize” is another project that will be realized under the coordination of the PABSEC in the northern province of Rize later in 2012.