Sergei Lavrov denied Russian press reports that the conflict in Georgia's self-proclaimed South Ossetia would be highlighted at his meeting with the Georgian foreign minister during the summit.
"The BSEC is convenient and comfortable for countries that pursue the declared goals of the organization - developing trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation," Lavrov said, adding that regional conflicts were easier to discuss within the UN and the OSCE, Europe's largest security organization.
South Ossetia has been a sensitive issue in bilateral relations. Georgian authorities are seeking to bring it back under control and have accused Russia, which has peacekeepers in the area, of encouraging separatist sentiments in the unrecognized republic.
Georgia wants to grant South Ossetia a status of broader autonomy and expected to win over Russia's support on the issue during the Black Sea summit. This spring, President Mikheil Saakashvili appointed a new South Ossetian leader, Dmitry Sanakoyev, and declared separatist President Eduard Kokoity illegitimate.
But Lavrov and his Georgian counterpart, Gela Bezhuashvili, will meet on the sidelines of the BSEC summit anyway, as their meeting was arranged during an informal summit of post-Soviet leaders in St. Petersburg June 9.
Formed in 1992, the BSEC includes Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
