The US Office of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) has issued the following statement with regard to the cooperation of business associations from Turkey and Armenia as well as other countries in the region:
“The Second General Assembly of the Union of Black Sea and Caspian Confederation of Enterprises (UBCCE) was held in Istanbul on March 2, 2009. UBCCE is the first independent and voluntary business organization of the Black Sea and Caspian Region and was set up under the leadership of TUSIAD in 2006.
The General Assembly approved the membership requests of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA), the Georgian Entrepreneurs Confederation (GEC), the Iraqi Businessmen Union (IBMU), the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine (CONFEU) and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU). With the admission of new organizations, the number of UBCCE members increased from 18 to 22.
According to the decisions taken during the Second General Assembly, UBCCE Presidency also passed from TUSIAD to the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) for the term 2009 – 2011. The Azerbaijan Turkey Business Association (ATIB), National Economic Chamber of Kazakhstan (ATAMEKEN Union), Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TISK) and the Alliance of Romanian Employers’ Confederation (ACPR) were elected as the Vice Presidents in charge of “Regional Economic Integration”, “Business Environment Development”, “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” and “Relations with the European Union and BUSINESSEUROPE” respectively.
During a ceremony held prior to the General Assembly, UBCCE signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation with the International Congress of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (ICIE) and the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation (TURKONFED).
For more information about UBCCE please visit www.ubcce.org.”