Bulgaria supports a deeper partnership between the EU and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization (BSEC), Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva told her BSEC counterparts. The fact that three EU Member States - Bulgaria, Greece and Romania - chair the organization consecutively is a positive factor for EU cooperation. I also welcome the efforts of the BSEC International Secretariat, which has raised EUR 2 million in EU funding for a three-year Black Sea water exploration project, Zaharieva said. In their speeches, the officials from a number of countries thanked the BSEC Bulgarian Presidency for its contribution to job creation policies, to improving transport connectivity and trade, and to avoiding double taxation.