Armenia`s voting right at int’l business group cancelled in Istanbul meeting
By Sabina Idayatova
Armenia has been deprived of its right to vote at the Union of Black Sea and Caspian Confederation of Enterprises (UBCCE) due to its failure to pay membership fees.
The decision was made at a regular general meeting of UBCCE held in Istanbul last Friday, the Union of Azerbaijani-Turkish Businessmen (ATIB) reported on Wednesday.
UBCCE is an international union composed of central, private, voluntary and nationally representative business organizations from the countries neighboring or having strong geographical ties with the Black Sea and Caspian regions. The Union is the first non-governmental organization forming a solid platform in which the business community of the region can work together to share experiences and seek solution to common challenges.
The membership request of Armenia`s Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen (UMBA) was approved at the second UBCCE General Assembly in Istanbul in March 2009.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan was approved for Management Committee of the UBCCE for 2013-15. Thereafter, the Union of Azerbaijani-Turkish Businessmen again will have the status of Vice President at UBCCE for the next two years.
The Azerbaijani side was represented at the meeting by Executive Board Member of ATIB Rashad Rasullu and the head of Projects and Researches Division of ATIB Kanan Aslanli.
The rules of membership in UBCCE have been simplified and now centralized associations and sectoral business associations can be full-fledged members of the organization.
UBCCE was established by 16 organizations under the leadership of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) on Nov. 27, 2006, uniting businessmen in the regions of the Black Sea and the Caspian from 12 countries. The head office is located in Istanbul.
Currently UBCCE includes 19 business organizations from 14 regional and five non-regional countries - Germany, Australia, Iraq, Poland and Slovenia.
UBCCE aims to promote the interests of its member organizations and to assist them in making an effective contribution to the functioning of free market economies in their respective countries.
In order to accomplish these objectives, UBCCE works with a wide range of partners, including the national governments, international organizations, and other regional and sectoral organizations active in the economic field.