On 24-25 October 1996, Heydar Aliyev attended the Moscow Summit of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. Despite being one of the founders of the organization, Azerbaijan could not fully participate in the work of the organization because of the war with Armenia.
Attending the BSEC Summit for the firts time, Heydar Aliyev delivered a speech on the prospects of the organisation and its possible role in the region. Within the framework of the summit, Heydar Aliyev met the Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Turkish President Suleyman Demirel. Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev, and the Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin.
As a result of the summit, the Moscow Declaration was signed, it determined the new development prospects of BSEC.
“90 Instants of the Great leader”, Heydar Aliyev Heritage research center, “Sharq-Qarb”, Baku-2013, p.81