Belarus, Romania
and Spain
have been granted observer status in the Council of the Baltic Sea States
(CBSS), BelaPAN reported.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said in
his speech at a meeting of CBSS foreign ministers in Elsinore, Denmark,
on June 4 that the CBSS member countries should closely cooperate with
observing countries in areas such as maritime safety, human trafficking
prevention, nuclear security, and children’s rights.
The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is an overall political forum for
regional interstate cooperation. It was founded in 1992 to handle issues
concerning the Baltic Sea region such as
economy, civil society development, human rights and nuclear and radiation
safety.
The CBSS currently has 12 members. The current CBSS observing countries include
France, Italy, the Netherlands,
Slovakia, Ukraine, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. The observer status
of Belarus, Romania and Spain will be effective from July 1.
