19/09/2011 President
“In my mind, ‘wider’ Europe is associated rather with countries which are our neighbours, but beyond the strictly geographical frontiers of Europe,” the Assembly President said, referring to PACE's recently-established “Partnership for Democracy" status. The Assembly, he added, is pursuing a strategy of bringing non-member states closer to the Council of Europe and to its standards. “In the wake of the Arab revolutions, we have even intensified our efforts,” he said, recalling that the Parliament of Morocco was recently granted this status, and that the Palestinian National Council is likely to receive it during the October plenary session.
Addressing the conference “Ukraine and the world: common challenges, common future” taking place in in Yalta, the President said that the Council of Europe contributes enormously to the continuing democratisation of our societies. “In order that our help, and sometimes even criticism, be accepted, we have to build our relations on partnership, strict respect for equality and avoiding double standards. Nobody is perfect and we should be frank and open in our dialogue – but always as friends and partners.”