Priorities and development dynamics of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

The article examines the organizational and legal structure of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), the stages and features of its development. The main areas of cooperation between the BSEC member states are revealed. Considerable attention is paid to the issues of ensuring transport links in the Greater Black Sea region, to the development of transport infrastructure, energy cooperation and promotion of projects for the development of environmentally clean energy. The activities of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB), a regional international financial institution which is a part of the BSEC system, are analyzed. The growing importance of the Black Sea region as a link between Europe and Asia is emphasized. Special attention is paid to the study of the EU Black Sea strategy, the purpose of which is to integrate the Black Sea countries into the system of foreign policy priorities of the European Union. Unlike the EU, the Black Sea region is of greater interest to the United States as a "link" between Europe and the Middle East. The relevance of the work is determined by Russia's membership in the BSEC, its role in the formation of the organization, the desire to establish its own sphere of influence in the region and to prevent the implementation of the goals of the European Union in the integration territory in the context of a complex geopolitical situation.