Azerbaijan to Chair BSEC in First Half of 2025

At the 49th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), held online, Azerbaijan was confirmed as the chair of the BSEC for the first half of 2025.

Azerbaijan was represented at the meeting by Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev, The Caspian Post reports, citing the country's Foreign Ministry.

In his address, Rafiyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s role as a founding member of BSEC, emphasizing the country’s ongoing contributions to strengthening cooperation within the organization. He reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s commitment to making BSEC a more result-oriented and practical platform for mutual collaboration.

Highlighting Azerbaijan's efforts to boost the transit potential of the region through the Middle Corridor and to establish safe transport routes, Rafiyev also drew attention to the country’s significant green energy potential.

The Deputy Foreign Minister further outlined Azerbaijan’s key achievements at COP29, particularly in advancing the international climate agenda, increasing climate finance, and fostering agreements on carbon markets.

Rafiyev noted that one of Azerbaijan’s main priorities during its 2025 chairmanship would be to strengthen the activities of BSEC working groups and enhance field-level collaboration among member states. He invited the member states to actively engage in these efforts.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of the session’s protocol and several important decisions. The BSEC chairmanship for the first half of 2025 was officially transferred to Azerbaijan.