01/09/2010 | President
At the end of his official visit to Romania, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu expressed his appreciation to the country for the successful dealing with minority issues and efforts aiming at increasing the involvement of minorities in the political, economic and social life of the country. He recalled that PACE had recently urged all member states to improve the situation and integration of Roma, protect them from discrimination, enhance their participation and representation. He said he regretted that some European countries had chosen to deal with this problem in a way which is stigmatising this vulnerable minority and leading to an increase of xenophobic and racist feelings.
31/08/2010 | President
Mevlüt Çavusoglu today sent a letter to John Prescott, Chairman of the United Kingdom delegation to the Assembly, conveying the following message: “I was very saddened by the news of the death of Lord McIntosh, whom I knew very well. His friendly and honest character and genuine interest in European affairs made him an outstanding member of our Assembly..."
25/08/2010 | President
PACE President, Mevlüt Çavusoglu, is making an official visit to Romania (29 August-1 September). During his visit, he is due to meet in Bucharest the President of the Republic Traian Basescu, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Roberta Alma Anastase, the President of the Senate Mircea Geoana, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi and the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniel of All Romanians. He already met representatives of local authorities in Tulcea.
20/08/2010 | President
“Recent developments in several European countries, most recently evictions of Roma camps in France and expulsions of Roma from France and Germany, are certainly not the right measures to improve the situation of this vulnerable minority. On the contrary, they are likely to lead to an increase in racist and xenophobic feelings in Europe,” PACE President, Mevlüt Çavusoglu, today declared.
20/07/2010 | President
“The renewal of politics requires greater responsiveness and accountability, as well as transparency, on the part of those who govern, and on the part of civil society actors who participate in the political debate,” said Mevlüt Çavusoglu, speaking today on the occasion of the 3rd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva. The broad theme for the 2010 conference (the two previous ones were held in New York in 2000 and 2005 respectively) is “Parliaments in a world of crisis: securing global democratic accountability for the common good”.
16/07/2010 | President
“Combating violence against women, especially in the private sphere, should be enhanced in Europe with a legally binding instrument. I therefore invite the Ministers of Justice to support the current drafting of a convention which can effectively combat the most widespread and most severe forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, and that should encompass the gender dimension”, today declared in Tromsø Carina Hägg (Sweden, SOC), Chair of the PACE Sub-Committee on violence against women, at the opening of the 29th Conference of Council of Europe Ministers of Justice.
16/07/2010 | President
“Combating violence against women, especially in the private sphere, should be enhanced in Europe with a legally binding instrument. I therefore invite the Ministers of Justice to support the current drafting of a convention which can effectively combat the most widespread and most severe forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, and that should encompass the gender dimension”, today declared in Tromsø Carina Hägg (Sweden, SOC), Chair of the PACE Sub-Committee on violence against women, at the opening of the 29th Conference of Council of Europe Ministers of Justice.
03/07/2010 | President
“I am shocked to learn of the explosion in the divided town of Mitrovica which has killed one person and injured 11 others,” said PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu in a statement. “I want to extend my most heartfelt condolences to the family of the victim and a quick recovery to the wounded, and call on all parties to remain calm. Violence is not the answer to the situation in Kosovo.*”
02/07/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has expressed his satisfaction at the current positive climate in relations between PACE and Russia. Speaking in a press conference at the end of a two-day visit to Moscow (1-2 July 2010), the President said: “There remain questions on which our opinions differ, and there are demands which Russia has to fulfill, but if we work as partners, with mutual respect and without double standards, I am sure that progress can be achieved even on these difficult issues.”
29/06/2010 | President
"Parliaments must be the driving force behind the elaboration of national action plans for intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. They must contribute to such plans not only through ideas and political impetus, but also through parliamentary control of the executive which has to implement them", PACE President said today addressing in Astana the OSCE Conference on tolerance and non-discrimination. "Besides such specific plans, parliaments should take into account the intercultural and inter-religious dimension in their overall legislative work", Mr Cavusoglu said.
28/06/2010 | President
"We are witnessing a revolution of sorts – in Europe and the world – in which women are rising in large numbers to claim leadership roles in our societies," said PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu, encouraging young female leaders in his opening address to the fifth annual Summer University for Democracy in Strasbourg today. "Much remains to be done, and the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly are in the midst of this struggle which I consider vital for the good management of the world of the future," said the PACE President.
28/06/2010 | President
“Today we pay our respects to all victims of torture. We also pay tribute to all those who work to denounce cases of torture and provide help to alleviate their tragic consequences. The Council of Europe has been fighting torture during the more than 60 years of its existence. All 47 Council of Europe member states stand behind the prohibition of this and other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as required by the European Convention on Human Rights," declared the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and the PACE President.