The Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), Amb. Sergio Piazzi, was among the keynote speakers at the Conference of the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) held in Istanbul, Turkey.
The event, organised on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of ASCAME, discussed the Political and Economic Future of the Mediterranean Region, in the light of the current major challenges, the economic crisis and the Arab Spring.
PAM Secretary General, in his remarks at the end the Conference, said the Assembly is fully aware that the current situation is extremely delicate and sensitive, and there is a full commitment to contribute to the efforts of the international community, through a platform of cooperation for the benefit of the Mediterranean people.
“PAM avails itself of the collaboration of all the relevant institutions to propose recommendations to the national member parliaments, and ensures that the efforts made by all the actors result in concrete input for actions from the legislative perspective”, Dr. Piazzi added.
From an economic point of view, any initiative must be accompanied by new education policies, facilitation of access to credit and investments, transport, trade and communication, and support to SMEs. All these factors are fundamental to guarantee social peace and political stability.
“PAM is focused through its Panel on External Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean, on a range of sectoral key issues, which need further coordination at the legislative level. Parliaments and the stakeholders from the economic and financial institutions have a role to play in order to create the best conditions and opportunities for rapid further growth”, PAM Secretary General said.
Amb. Piazzi concluded his intervention by recalling that both PAM and ASCAME share the same objectives and for this reason they must work together and face the challenges with a positive attitude.
Dr Piazzi had the opportunity to expand on this issue directly with both the ASCAME outgoing president Dr. Murat Yalcintas (Turkey) and the new incumbent Mr. Mohamed Choucair (Lebanon), during a trilateral meeting where a structured collaboration agenda between PAM and ASCAME was discussed in detail.
Also participating at the ASCAME event were H.E. Vokan Bozkar, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly; H.E. Hayati Yazici, Minister of Customs and Trade of Turkey; H.E. Nicolas Nahas, Minister of Economy and Trade of Lebanon; H.E. Abdelkader Amara, Minister of Industry, Trade and New Technologies of Morocco; Hon. Tamara Obradovic Mazal, Deputy Minister of Economy of Croatia; Hon. Fuad Kasumovic, Deputy Minister of Finance of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Mr Claudio Cortese, Deputy Director of the European Investment Bank, as well as other representatives from international financial and economic institutions and bodies.
PAM Secretary General also held a series of bilateral meetings with the Ministers with whom the Turkish Development model and the upcoming Lisbon meeting (29 June, 2012) of the Financial Group of the PAM Panel on External Trade and Investments in the Mediterranean, were analyzed and discussed. They expressed their support to the PAM Panel’s initiatives, and augured that input generated within the debates at the regional inter-parliamentary level will be duly credited in the legislative processes of their respective countries with the aim to further coordinate a common action for the economic and social recovery in the region.