05/06/2010 | President
On the occasion of the ceremony to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the European Commission for Democracy through Law in Venice, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu underlined “the importance of the co-operation between the Commission and the Assembly”. The different nature of the respective bodies – PACE being strictly political, and the Venice Commission on the other hand being eminently legal – does not prevent them from “working together and reinforcing the impact of their respective actions”, he said, as “the mission of the two bodies often coincides”. In this respect, the President mentioned “the most visible and recurrent instance of co-operation”, that of electoral observation missions.
31/05/2010 | President
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Chair Antonio Miloshoski and Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Mevlüt Çavusoglu have condemned the terrorist attack on the Iskenderun Naval Base in Turkey, and expressed their deep sadness at the loss of life it caused. "The Council of Europe condemns terrorism in any form, which is an affront to the values we defend. Terrorism targets the right to live in dignity and security, and thus goes against all Council of Europe values," they said in a joint statement.
31/05/2010 | President
“I am deeply shocked to learn that civilians who were attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza have lost their lives or been severely injured,” the PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu said in a statement, reacting to last night’s interception by Israel of an aid convoy to Gaza. “This should never happen, whatever the reason. I condemn this action by Israeli forces and deplore the disproportionate use of force employed."
28/05/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has called for a political culture which values diversity. “Even if democracy means that the views of the majority prevail, there should be a balance which ensures fair treatment of minorities and avoids any abuse of a dominant position,” he said, addressing delegates at the Third Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilisations in Rio. Cultural diversity and dialogue between cultures were a priority for the Council of Europe, the president said.
28/05/2010 | President
Extremists who abuse Islam should not be invoked to justify a negative approach to Islam and Muslims in general, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has said, speaking at a roundtable on Islamophobia co-organised by the UN Alliance of Civilisations, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Council of Europe ahead of the Third Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilisations in Rio. Yet Muslims should also be the first to condemn “political extremism under the cover of Islam” and work to transmit core European values within their communities, he said, by highlighting their compatibility with Islam as a religion.
25/05/2010 | President
Mevlüt Çavusoglu today met in Ankara with Jean-Claude Mignon, head of the French parliamentary delegation and an Assembly Vice-President. The PACE President said he appreciated the work and the commitment of Mr Mignon on behalf of the Council of Europe and its Assembly. Mr Çavusoglu and Mr Mignon discussed the reform process of the Council of Europe and the role of the Assembly in this regard, as well as the need to launch the Assembly’s own reform process.
25/05/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu will take part in the Third Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations initative in Rio de Janeiro (27-28 May 2010), alongside Brazilian President Lula da Silva and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as well as the co-sponsors of the initiative Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the President of the Spanish Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
20/05/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has congratulated the authorities of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” on the programme for the Macedonian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe. Meeting Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski today in Skopje, ahead of the Assembly’s meetings on 20-21 May, the President said the programme “largely coincides with the activities of PACE and also with the priorities of my Presidency, in particular as regards strengthening human rights protection and reinforcing intercultural and inter-religious dialogue”.
19/05/2010 | President
On the last day of his official visit to Montenegro (16-19 May 2010), PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu met the Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Dukanovic, when he reiterated his appreciation for the progress achieved by Montenegro in implementing the obligations and commitments it took on when it joined the Council of Europe in 2007. He also expressed his support for the country's efforts to join the European Union and Euro-Atlantic structures as fully and quickly as possible.
17/05/2010 | President
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Chair Antonio Miloshoski and PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu today called on the authorities of Belarus to commute the death sentences of Andrei Burdyko and Oleg Grishkovtsov, who have just been sentenced to death by the Court of the Grodno region.
17/05/2010 | President
Addressing the Parliament of Montenegro today as part of his official visit to the country, the PACE President stressed that he got the impression that “Montenegro had come to peace with itself, in its independence gained almost to the day four years ago”. He welcomed the clear progress the country has made, including through the adoption of numerous Council of Europe standards and conventions, which will, he said, “assist Montenegro on its road to European Union membership”.
17/05/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has today begun a three-day official visit to Montenegro. During his visit, he will meet the President of the Republic Filip Vujanovic, the Prime Minister Milo Ðukanovic, the President of the Parliament Ranko Krivokapic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Milan Rocen.