25/11/2010 President
Strasbourg, 25.11.2010 – PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has discussed a range of Council of Europe priorities and initiatives with Finnish leaders during an official visit to the country, including plans for reform of the Organisation and the forthcoming accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights.
In meetings today with President Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi and Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, the President warmly thanked Finland for its long-standing support for the Council of Europe, describing it as “a fervent promoter and defender” of the Organisation and its values. He also reiterated that Finland set an example for other European countries in many areas, such as the rights of minorities and women’s rights, as well as showing the way for finding peaceful solutions to regional conflicts.
The situations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Belarus and in Cyprus were also discussed, as well as the Council of Europe’s efforts to improve the situation of Roma and to fight intolerance and discrimination.