30/01/2009 | President
Björn von Sydow (Sweden, SOC), who is preparing a report for the PACE on the situation in Kosovo, is to visit Kosovo from 2 to 5 February 2009. Opening a current affairs debate in the Assembly in January 2008, Mr von Sydow said: “Irrespective of its status, the Parliamentary Assembly wants people in Kosovo to enjoy the same rights and freedoms and have the same opportunities”.
30/01/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig is to make an official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 2-3 February to deepen co-operation and, in particular, to assess progress on constitutional reform. Meetings are foreseen with Nebojša Radmanovic, Željko Komšic and Haris Silajdžic, members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Nikola Špiric, Chairman of the Council of Ministers; Sven Alkalaj, Minister of Foreign Affairs; as well as with members of the Collegium of both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly. Mr de Puig will also meet with Miroslav Lajcak, High Representative and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
21/01/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has congratulated President Barack Obama on his inauguration, and invited him to address a plenary session of the Assembly in the near future. He warmly welcomed President Obama’s swift action – on his first day in office – to request the suspension of all military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, and his pledge to close the detention centre altogether as soon as possible.
21/01/2009 | President
“I welcome the frank discussions with the Russian authorities and their willingness to engage in a constructive and open dialogue with the Assembly,” said PACE President, Lluís Maria de Puig, at the end of a visit of PACE’s Presidential Committee to Moscow on 18 and 19 January 2009. The Presidential Committee visited Moscow to discuss the implementation of Assembly Resolution 1633 (2008) on the “Consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia” with the highest Russian authorities, including the Speakers of the State Duma and Council of the Federation and Foreign Minister.
16/01/2009 | President
PACE Presidential Committee, led by its President, Lluís Maria de Puig, will visit Moscow on 19 January 2009 as part of the follow-up to the Assembly’s resolution on the consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia. The parliamentarians are due to meet the Speaker of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov, the Chairman of the Council of the Federation Sergey Mironov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, the Deputy Head of the General Staff Anatoly Nogovitsyn, the Deputy Head of the Security Council Yury Zubakov and the Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Vladimir Lukin, as well as the members of the Russian delegation to PACE.
15/01/2009 | President
Statement by Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, and Lluís Maria De Puig, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: “When it acceded to the Council of Europe in 2001, Azerbaijan undertook to guarantee the freedom of expression and independence of the media, which are essential preconditions for the functioning of a democratic society. We find it highly regrettable that the Azerbaijani National Radio and Television Council recently decided not to renew the licences of several foreign broadcasters."
05/01/2009 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has called for an end to all violence in Gaza. He condemned the rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel by the Hamas movement and the air strikes by Israel on Gaza, leading to a disproportionate number of casualties. "Violence, destruction and death will never resolve the Middle East problem. On the contrary, they will lead to more violence and death. The only solution is a political one: renewing the ceasefire, dialogue and negotiations," he said. "The Assembly, which has always stood for peace and human rights, cannot accept the deadly escalation of the last hours."
23/12/2008 | President
“The Council of Europe was created 60 years ago with the aim of achieving greater unity between its members. Its core objective is to preserve and promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The coming year, 2009, is an opportunity to mark this anniversary and to look towards the future and the challenges it brings" stated Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and Spain’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, Lluís Maria De Puig, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, and Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
10/12/2008 | President
"It is when times are hard that the commitment to protecting human rights is tested most severely," PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig said on the eve of Human Rights Day. "History tells us that an economic downturn usually leads to a rise in prejudice and discrimination. We must redouble our efforts to fight them, as well as the resulting intolerance."
05/12/2008 | President
In a letter today to the Chairman of the delegation of the Russian Federation to PACE Konstantin Kosachev, and to the Speaker of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig has expressed his sincere condolences at the death of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia.
05/12/2008 | President
PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig welcomed the co-operation agreement signed today between the Assembly and the Latin-American Parliament (Parlatino), following similar agreements with the Assembly of the CIS and the Pan-African Parliament. The aims of this agreement are to structure and expand the co-operation between the two bodies and promote the shared values of democracy, the rule of law and defence of human rights.
02/12/2008 | President
“Our two assemblies have a major part to play in the normalisation process between Georgia and Russia,” PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig said today in his speech at the Congress’s plenary session, referring to the recent conflict between the two countries. “We share a common concern to strengthen democracy in Europe. Firstly, we must prevent any violence and ensure that the populations affected by the conflict are able to live in peace and dignity. The Congress through its work at local and regional level, can make a significant contribution to moving things forward. We must on no account break off relations with the populations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” the President said.