24/10/2011 | Election observation
“The observer delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) welcomes Bulgaria’s continuous progress towards the implementation of its commitments vis-à-vis the Council of Europe in the field of democratic elections. In this connection, the delegation notes, in particular, Bulgaria’s co-operation with PACE in the framework of post-monitoring dialogue as well as with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe..."
24/10/2011 | Election observation
"The observer delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) congratulates the citizens of Tunisia for having achieved this rendez-vous with history. For the first time, they have freely elected their constituent National Assembly, laying the foundations of their democracy. They have thus transformed the revolutionary dynamic into a legal and legitimate institution, thereby setting an example for the entire region..."
24/10/2011 | President
Following yesterday’s earthquake in Turkey, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, PACE President, today made the following statement: “On behalf of the Council of Europe, we would like to express our profound sympathy to the people and government of the Republic of Turkey following the earthquake which hit the south east of the country on Sunday, one of the strongest in recent decades..."
21/10/2011 | President
At the end of a three-day official visit, the PACE President has welcomed Norway's permanent support for the work of the Assembly and the Council of Europe. "We have in your country a strong and solid partner," Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "Our Assembly values very much Oslo's support for activities in the field of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue," Mr Cavusoglu added, welcoming Norway's substantial contribution to the Organisation's co-operation programmes, both in terms of financial resources and expertise.
20/10/2011 | President
"Our Assembly and national parliaments have a responsibility for rapid and effective implementation of Strasbourg Court judgments", PACE President Mevlut Cavusoglu said today adrssing the Norvegian Center for Human Rights in Oslo. "The Committee of Ministers, which holds the principal responsibility for the supervision of the execution of the Court’s judgments, has itself acknowledged the benefit of greater parliamentary involvement", he added.
19/10/2011 | Prizes
The 2011 Europe Prize was awarded last Saturday to the French town of Landerneau in Brittany, in the presence of many local and regional officials, and a parliamentary delegation led by the Chairman of the PACE Sub-Committee on the Europe Prize Axel Fischer.
19/10/2011 | President
“We are outraged by the terrorist attacks in south-east Turkey, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 26 Turkish soldiers. We condemn in the strongest terms the authors of these horrendous acts, as well as yesterday’s attack on police officers", declared today Konstyantyn Gryshchenko, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, President of the Parliamentary Assembly.
18/10/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu today welcomed the prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas as “good news”. "It is a sign, at a difficult time for the peace process, that sustained negotiations are possible and more effective than the continuation of a stalemate between Palestinians and Israelis," he said. The release of soldier Gilad Shalit was one of the key issues the Assembly said it would follow when it granted the Palestinian National Council ‘Partner for democracy’ status on 4 October 2011.
18/10/2011 | President
“It is no longer acceptable to make excuses when it comes to ratification of the European Social Charter,” said PACE President Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking today at a ceremony in Strasbourg to mark the Charter’s 50th anniversary. “All human beings have basic rights, and these include health, employment and the right to be ‘free from want’,” he pointed out.
18/10/2011 | President
“A truly intercultural model of 'living together', which allows culturally different groups within society to interact, is the most effective response to intolerance, extremism and xenophobia - the worst evils our societies have to face today,” said the PACE President today, addressing the 21st Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. “As the Assembly and the Congress have stated on numerous occasions, dialogue, integration and interaction between different communities start at local level,” he said.
17/10/2011 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
“Poverty is a barrier to the enjoyment of human rights, whether civil and political rights or social, economic and cultural rights,” Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), former PACE rapporteur on combating poverty said today, on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. “Poverty, which singles out the disabled, the elderly, unmarried mothers and many other categories, necessarily curtails the exercise of human rights for its victims,” he added.
14/10/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu will make an official visit to Norway from 19 to 21 October. During his visit, he is due to meet the President of the Storting – Norwegian Parliament – Dag Terje Andersen and the leaders of political groups as well as the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide. He will hold an exchange of views with the members of the Storting Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and with the Norwegian delegation to PACE.