ISTANBUL, September 29 (Xinhua) -- The Black Sea region is critical to global energy security, according to speakers at a three-day forum that kicked off here on Wednesday.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Georgian Prime Minister Nikoloz Gilauri and former U.S. National Security Advisor General Brent Scowcroft attended the opening of the 2nd Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum 2010.
The forum also brings prominent businessmen from Black Sea countries to discuss strategies for the coming years. The most important topic at the forum is energy, particularly the future of Eurasian energy and the foundations needed for energy export.
Turkish Prime Minister said that energy was the most important problem of the 21st century and spoke of the need for justice in energy distribution.
Saying it was unjust that 1.5 billion people in the world did not have electricity, Erdogan said, "The sun belongs to all of us, we all benefit from it. But once it gets dark, we see that the earth's resources are not distributed equally and fairly."
He added that energy was not just for the developed and the developing, and the system as it is today was not sustainable.
Georgian Prime Minister Gilauri explained that the region played a critical role in diversifying energy sources, adding" diversification of energy is the most important of energy security. "
He said that Georgia can contribute to the energy security of Europe with the help of Azerbaijan, and that when Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey work together, they can accomplish much to further energy security.
Rifat Hisarciklioglu, head of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, said that settlement of prosperity, stability and peace in the extended Black Sea region was a global matter.
A comprehensive strategy was necessary to provide this, Hisarciklioglu added, noting that world's political map changed after 1989 and the world met with Eurasia concept.
He said that Eurasia, with its energy and natural resources, had become one of the most important areas of global competition.
He stressed that while world's political and economic power map was getting shaped, Black Sea region's importance rose as a transition zone between Europe and the emerging power Asia.
Extended Black Sea region, which is home to energy routes, has a vital importance for the world, he added.
However, he noted that unsolved clashes in the region delayed the economic development, adding that private sector should be developed more and communities should gain more stability to settle energy security in the region.
He stressed that development of private sector in the region would help solving problems in the long-term. Thus, Turkey and Turkish business world would undertake a more important function in the region in the next period, he added.
Hisarciklioglu added that Turkish business world saw the region as a large cooperation zone, not a competition zone, and they wanted the ports of Trabzon, Odessa and Constanta to regain their dynamism.
The Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum (BSEEF) is a unique annual initiative that brings business and policy leaders together to discuss Eurasia's leading economic and energy challenges.
The Atlantic Council's new Eurasia Center, in cooperation with its partners in the Black Sea, Caspian and Central Asian regions, has launched this important initiative in an effort to promote energy security, economic growth and political stability in one of the world's most crucial places.
The Forum aims to develop best policy solutions to help the region be a center for economic cooperation, investment and trade.
The three-day event will be a venue for discussions on vision and strategies regarding Eurasia, Black Sea, the Caspian and Central Asia, as well as political and economic stability, the future of Eurasian energy following global financial crisis, export infrastructure of Eurasian natural gas, integration of finance, construction, information technologies and other emerging industries, and regional cooperation against competition.
