BSTDB HOLDS ITS THIRD BLACK SEA BUSINESS DAY IN THESSALONIKI
Press Release | 15-Apr-2002
The 2002 Black Sea Business Day organized by BSTDB on the occasion of its Fourth Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors on the April 15, 2002 focused on opportunities and prospects for trade and investment in the Black Sea region and gathered more than 400 participants representing governments, international banking and business community of the greater Black Sea region and Western Europe. The event supported by the Ministry of National Economy of Greece and the Agricultural Bank of Greece, was inaugurated by H.E. Mr. Kemal Dervis, Minister of State of the Republic of Türkiye and by H.E. Mr. Akis Tsochadzopoulos, Minister of Development of the Hellenic Republic. H.E. Mr. Georges Paschalidis, Minister for Makedonia and Thrace, participated in the inaugural ceremony. The guests were welcomed by Mr. Mustafa Gurtin, President of BSTDB, and by Mr. Vassilis Papageorgopoulos, Mayor of Thessaloniki.Three round table discussions highlighted important issues for the future of the Black Sea region, such as creating strong banking systems, developing the SME sector and increasing trade and investment in the region. The discussions benefited from the contributions of important personalities of the BSTDB member countries including H.E. Mr. Vardan Khachatryan, Minister of Finance and Economy of Armenia, H.E. Ms. Silvia Ciornei, Minister for SME and Cooperatives of Romania, Ms. Tatiana Paramonova, First Deputy Chairperson of the Central Bank of Russia, and Mr. George Floridis, Deputy Minister of Finance of Greece. The Business Day discussions went beyond the regional borders with important inputs made by international institutions represented by Ms. Noreen Doyle, First Vice President of EBRD, Mr. Paul Henri Ravier, Deputy Director of the WTO, Mr. Apolonio Ruiz Ligero, Vice Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank, Dr. Alfred Steinherr, Chief Economist of EIB, and Mr. Apostolos Theodorakis (European Commission).
The Black Sea Business Day proved to be a unique occasion for banking and business community of the region to develop stronger business relations, and to meet reputed international investors.
The Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) is an international financial institution established by Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine. With an authorized capital of SDR 1 billion (approx. USD 1,3 billion), the Bank supports economic development and regional cooperation by providing financing, guarantees, and equity for projects supporting both public and private enterprises in its Member Countries. Since the commencement of operations in 1999, BSTDB's Board of Directors has approved 44 projects totaling over USD 360 million. The total value of regional projects with the BSTDB participation grew substantially during the last year of the Bank’s operational activities to exceed USD 1 billion.