We are obliged to bring peace, prosperity and cooperation to the Black Sea region as a bridge between Asia and Europe, the secretary-general of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) said.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which concluded last week, Secretary-General Asaf Hajiyev said the most important resource of the Black Sea region are the people who live there.
"The Black Sea is important for the world because it can be considered as a bridge between Asia and Europe. At the same time the region is very rich in energy sources," Hajiyev said.
"But the most important value of the region is not its geographical position or its resources. In fact, the most important value of the region is the people who live here, different nations, with different traditions, different cultures, and moreover, with different religions," he added.
"And we are in debt. We are obliged to bring peace, prosperity and cooperation for the region," he added amid a war between the two PABSEC member states, Russia and Ukraine.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has not only affected those two countries and the PABSEC, but also the region and the world, Hajiyev said.
He said parliamentary diplomacy can play a positive role in ending the war and also dealing with its consequences, mainly the refugees.
"Parliamentary organizations, like PABSEC, have some good opportunities to start discussions between MPs," Hajiyev said, using an acronym for members of parliament.
"As a result of this war, we now have more than 2 million refugees. They have to live a normal life, normal standards. So, it's necessary to prepare some legislation for refugees to organize a normal life for them," he added.
"Today in the world, (there are) more than 86 million refugees plus 2 million from Ukraine, it's close to 90 million," he said.
This means every one in 100 people in the world is a refugee, he added.
But in the Black Sea region, this number is two times higher, he said. There is at least one refugee for every 50 people because the region has a population of 350 million, he added.
Hajiyev called for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. "It's very, very dangerous situation in the Black Sea and all countries are trying to help, of course. It is a very complicated problem."
He said: "History shows that confrontation gives nothing to the world."
"I think the Black Sea, I mean in our region should not divide countries, but it should unite people, unite countries, unite people from different religions, different culture, different nations."
Direct talks between Turkey and Armenia
Hajiyev said that he is optimistic about the resumption of direct talks between Turkey and Armenia.
A historic meeting took place Saturday between Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan on the forum's sidelines. It was the first high-level visit to Turkey from Armenia after many years.
Çavuşoğlu told reporters that the meeting was "extremely fruitful and constructive."
"During my meeting with Minister Çavuşoğlu, we exchanged views on certain sensitivities, and I hope that they will be taken into account," Mirzoyan said.
"I guess the new authority and nation in Armenia, at last, understood that it's necessary to have cooperation. But in this cooperation, Armenia is more interested than Turkey," said Hajiyev.
He expressed his hope that the new prime minister and party are willing to cooperate with Turkey.
"Turkey is a huge, very important country in the world, and a huge neighbor of Armenia," Hajiyev said, adding that if the country also establishes relations with Azerbaijan, it will reflect positively on Armenia and its economy.
He added that the two countries have many things in common as they are part of the same region, i.e. the South Caucasus, and the region should be defined by friendship, cooperation and peace.