In his statement at the meeting, Minister Oskanian stressed that there are more commonalities among BSEC members than differences, and despite the bilateral problems that exist, the positive elements must and can override these differences in order to allow for a harmonious environment in which to work and to settle political issues. He pointed out that in the realm of creating a transport ring, the efforts by some members to resort to a policy of exclusion and not include certain members by circumventing or ignoring existing transport means is unacceptable for members of the same organization.

Finally, the Minister noted that in light of Bulgaria and Romania joining the EU next year, this makes, with Greece, three BSEC members who are simultaneously members of the EU, and thus provides new opportunities for BSEC - EU cooperation taking into consideration both overlapping interests and overlapping memberships.

Further, Minister suggested that in preparation for the organization's 15th anniversary and the Summit to be held in Istanbul, the time is right to study the accumulated experiences and the new challenges, and to make the necessary modification and institutional changes to become more effective.

As a result of the meeting, a Joint declaration was passed and the presidency of BSEC was passed on to Serbia. Within the framework of the BSEC meeting, Minister Oskanian met with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. They discussed bilateral issues, as well as regional matters, and the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process.

Earlier in the day, Minister Oskanian had also met with Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezuashvili. The two ministers discussed Armenian-Georgian relations, as well as the effect of Russian-Georgian relations on the region, and prospects for reduction of tensions. The Ministers discussed the upcoming meeting in Brussels with the EU leadership at which time, the European Neighborhood Action Plan will go into effect, and the two countries will be better able to cooperate within Euro-integration processes. Minister Oskanian and Minister Bezuashvili exchanged views on the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the region, and in that context,
the prospects for alleviating the consequences of a GUAM initiative within the UN.