18/02/2016 President
Following yesterday’s terrorist attack in Ankara, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Pedro Agramunt expressed the Assembly’s deepest sympathies to the people of Turkey and the Turkish authorities in letters to the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly İsmail Kahraman and to Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
“Terrorism undermines the very foundations of our democratic societies. We must resolutely combat this scourge, on the basis of the values and principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” he wrote.
“The Council of Europe’s role is to support its member states in their efforts to combat extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism. I have made this issue one of the priorities of my mandate as President of the Assembly. Therefore I would like to assure you that the Turkish Parliament and national delegation to the Assembly can count on my support and that of the Assembly,” concluded Mr Agramunt.