11/05/2011 | President
Speaking on the occasion of the 121st session of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers meeting in Istanbul today, PACE President Mevlüt Cavusoglu stressed that he personally considered that a Council of Europe Summit was needed to get the necessary level of political commitment to implement the measures proposed by the Group of Eminent Persons of the Council of Europe in a report on “Living together – combining diversity and freedom in 21st century Europe”.
09/05/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu today expressed his distress and deep concern following reports that 61 boat people have died after their appeals for rescue were ignored. Reportedly, their boat was left to drift in the Mediterranean for 16 days. “If this grave accusation is true – that, despite the alarm being raised, and despite the fact that this boat, fleeing Libya, had been located by armed forces operating in the Mediterranean, no attempt was made to rescue the 72 passengers aboard, then it is a dark day for Europe as a whole,” he declared.
29/04/2011 | President
Following the terrorist attack in Marrakech on 28 April, the PACE President extended his sincere condolences to the Speakers of the Assembly of Representatives and the Assembly of Councillors of Morocco: "May I extend to you my sincere condolences on my own account and on behalf of all members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly on the occasion of the terrorist attack which rocked your country yesterday..."
28/04/2011 | President
Croatia is “on the right track” in its European integration and could become a model for other Western Balkan countries in their drive for EU membership, PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, speaking mid-way through a two-day official visit to the country (28-29 April). The country has made “remarkable progress in establishing democratic norms and practices, in the protection of human rights and in building a state based on the rule of law”, the President said, demonstrating its potential to play the same positive role when it becomes an EU member.
26/04/2011 | President
National parliaments must play a key role in stemming the flood of applications submerging the European Court of Human Rights, PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, speaking today at the opening of the High-Level Conference on the future of the Court in Izmir, Turkey. Parliaments should "rigorously and systematically verify the compatibility of draft and existing laws with the Convention’s standards", the President pointed out, which would prevent some cases reaching Strasbourg in the first place. Secondly, they should apply pressure on governments to rapidly implement the Court’s judgments when violations were found.
26/04/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will make an official visit to Croatia on 28-29 April 2011. During his visit, he is due to meet the President of the Republic Ivo Josipović, the Speaker of Parliament Luka Bebić, the Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Gordan Jandroković.
21/04/2011 | President
The President of PACE and the leaders of the Assembly’s five political groups have saluted the Tunisian people’s determination to build “a genuine democratic society based on universal values”. Speaking at the end of a visit to Tunisia by PACE’s Presidential Committee, they said the government and people were managing the transition well, leading the way for other countries in the region. They also welcomed the creation of a series of commissions to prepare the democratic transition which were established on the basis of a wide agreement between political forces, NGOs and experts.
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 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.
07/04/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has issued an urgent call for Roma to be given a stronger voice at local, national and international level. “The Roma are Europe’s largest minority, present in virtually every one of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states, yet their participation in public and political life is minimal,” the President pointed out, speaking on the eve of International Roma Day, 8 April.
31/03/2011 | President
“As politicians, we are very much concerned about some global economic developments which have consequences on human rights of our citizens,” said PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, addressing today the European banking and financial Forum “World Finances on the Threshold of the Asian Era" in Prague today, on the occasion of his working visit to the Czech Republic (30 March - 1 April).
31/03/2011 | President
During his working visit to the Czech Republic (30 March - 1 April), PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu underlined that the Czech Republic could make a significant contribution to the work of the Council of Europe, regarding the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the reform of the Council of Europe. Other issues raised included the situation of the Roma population, the situation in Belarus, recent developments in the Arab world as well as PACE’s new “Partnership for democracy” status.
29/03/2011 | President
“The North-South Prize has a special meaning, which goes beyond being a simple reward. It is a symbol and a cause”, PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said today at the North-South Prize award ceremony in Lisbon. “It is a symbol of the one world in which we are all living, a world in which the North and the South, the East and the West, should be nothing more than geographical references”, he stressed.