07/04/2011 President
Adressing the World Forum on Intercultural dialogue in Baku, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu today underlined that building the environment for successful intercultural dialogue is key to achieving the Council of Europe goals.
"But our work does not stop there. We must design and implement comprehensive national policies for promoting intercultural dialogue. In this area, the Council of Europe has a wealth of expertise to contribute,” he underlined, while emphasising the role of parliaments in this process.
The fundamental values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, he added, make up the foundation for intercultural dialogue and create an environment in which dialogue can flourish.
The PACE President also recalled the debate on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue, on Tuesday 12 April, which will be one of the highlights of the PACE's Spring session.
The forum is an initiative of the Government of Azerbaijan supported by UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilisations, the Council of Europe and ISESCO. Alongside his participation in the Forum, PACE President will meet in Baku with the President of the Republic, the Speaker of Milli Mejlis and the Minister for Foreign Affairs.