High officials of states members of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization meet in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday to discuss trade and tourism cooperation schemes and develop EU relations, France Presse reports. Romanian President Traian Basescu and Russian leader Vladimir Putin were both present as talks started at the summit today.

The meeting marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the organization and it counts representatives from all the 12 member states (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine).

Turkey, who assures the Presidency of the organization, informs that it wants to give it a nudge and asks for increased cooperation in transportation, energy, environment and the fight against corruption across the Black Sea region.

According to France Presse, one of the main themes raised is the improvement of transportation infrastructure among member states in order to promote trade and tourism by building highways around the Black Sea but also by creating a network of 'sea highways'.