Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Theoharis held a working meeting on Monday 16 March 2026 with Ambassador Lazar Comanescu, Secretary General of the Permanent International Secretariat of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), focusing mainly on Greece’s upcoming assumption of the Organization’s Chairmanship next July and the preparation of the Greek programme of action.
The meeting between Mr. Theoharis and Mr. Comanescu took place at the BSEC headquarters in Istanbul and confirmed the excellent cooperation between Greece and the Organization’s Secretariat. Mr. Theoharis stressed that Greece, as a founding member and one of the main funders of BSEC, attaches particular importance to the Organization as a platform for genuine and dynamic regional cooperation.
For his part, Ambassador Lazar Comanescu noted that Greece plays a leading and essential role in BSEC’s activities. Mr. Comanescu also expressed his conviction that the Greek Chairmanship will prove fully successful and beneficial for the Organization as a whole.
During his visit to Istanbul, Mr. Theoharis was also received by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar. In his address to His All-Holiness, the Deputy Minister praised the multifaceted work of the Patriarchate, focusing above all on its contribution to the spiritual unity of the Christian world and the consolidation of peace in the wider region — elements that are, after all, in harmony with the values of cooperation and stability that Greece promotes through its intensive diplomatic presence.
