PABSEC has always been an important regional pillar of inter-parliamentary cooperation. We value each other’s peace and security far more than external forces do, - stated Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili during his speech at the 67th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (PABSEC).

According to him, in conditions where global organizations fail to ensure peace, cooperation, and stability, regional formats such as PABSEC have the opportunity to unite around the protection of common pragmatic interests.

“PABSEC has always been an important regional pillar of inter-parliamentary cooperation. Today its role is more relevant than ever. The Black Sea region is at a critical stage. Ongoing geopolitical processes, growing economic uncertainty, and new technological transformations are changing both our region and the broader international order. In conditions where global organizations cannot ensure peace, cooperation, and stability, regional formats like PABSEC have a unique opportunity to unite us in defense of our common pragmatic interests, which our parliaments express on behalf of our peoples,” Papuashvili stated.

He assessed that parliamentary assemblies are particularly sensitive to the political preferences of their citizens and voters and are therefore better informed about the priorities defined by the population.

“We value each other’s peace and security much more than external forces, especially in the context of significant geopolitical upheavals caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, which has had a direct impact on the entire Black Sea region, turning it into one of the most important focal points of world politics.

Even in this difficult situation, geopolitics should serve the economic interests of our peoples, and not the other way around. Therefore, PABSEC should maintain a clear focus on the development of economic cooperation, trade, and connectivity - in other words, on the well-being of people. The wise founders of BSEC and later PABSEC made ‘economy’ the cornerstone of our organization’s mission, which is also reflected in the very name of the organization. When international powers use international organizations as tools for their narrow political interests and put geopolitics ahead of people, they damage peace, security, and stability.

This is precisely what causes economic stagnation - the neglect of people’s needs in favor of geopolitical games. Such games also deepen the gap between elites and the people, which ultimately leads to the loss of public support for adventurous leaders and their governments and contributes to radicalization as the main basis of political polarization,” Shalva Papuashvili stated.