27/07/2011 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
At the end of a one-day visit to the Hatay region in Turkey on 26 July, a four-member delegation from the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, headed by Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG), stated that “the Turkish authorities must be congratulated for their quick response to the situation". The delegation, which visited two refugee camps in the Hatay region and met those involved in managing the situation said the conditions in the camps were of high standards.
23/07/2011 | President
Following the massacre at Utoeya island youth camp and the bombing in Oslo, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Mevlüt Çavusoglu made the following statement: "As every single European, I am deeply shocked by the massacre at Utoeya island youth camp and the bombing in Oslo, which caused the death of nearly one hundred people and wounded many others. On behalf of the 800 million Europeans which our Assembly represents, I extend my sincere condolences to the families of those dead as well as to the authorities of Norway. Terrorism remains the greatest threat to the universal values of human rights...
22/07/2011 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
On 26 July, a four-member delegation from PACE’s Migration Committee will visit reception camps near Antakya, on the Turkish-Syrian border, set up to give refuge to the flow of people fleeing conflict in Syria. The cross-party delegation, headed by Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG), will meet residents of the camps and local and regional authorities, as well as representatives of the Turkish Red Crescent.
21/07/2011 | Monitoring
At the end of a monitoring visit to Yerevan, the PACE co-rapporteur for Armenia of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD), has welcomed the evolving dialogue between the ruling coalition in the National Assembly and the extra-parliamentary opposition party, the Armenian National Congress. Speaking at the end of a three-day visit to the country (19-21 July), Mr Fischer said he hoped this would go hand in hand with a similar constructive dialogue between the ruling coalition and parliamentary opposition in the National Assembly.
21/07/2011 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Following the recent executions of two men, Oleg Grishkovets and Andrei Burdyka, in Belarus, as reported yesterday by the state-run Vecherny Grodno newspaper, Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), the rapporteur on Belarus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has reiterated the Assembly’s long-standing and categorical opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances.
20/07/2011 | President
Following the arrest today of Goran Hadzic, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu made the following statement: “The arrest of Goran Hadzic is excellent news, and I congratulate the Serbian authorities on this important step – which our Assembly has long been calling for. Together with the arrest of Ratko Mladic less than two months ago, this sends a strong signal that Serbia is at last fulfilling its commitment to bring to justice those who committed awful crimes in the dark years of the war.
18/07/2011 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that the “winds of change” sweeping the Arab world offer “huge opportunities” for the creation of a neighbourhood to Europe which is more peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous. Addressing a round table at the Odessa National Academy of Law, Mr Çavuşoğlu listed the steps the Council of Europe – and particularly the Assembly – was taking to share its deep knowledge of democratic transformation, yet without “giving lessons or imposing models”.
18/07/2011 | Monitoring
John Prescott (United Kingdom, SOC) and Axel Fischer (Germany, EPP/CD), PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia, will make a fact-finding visit to the country from 19 to 21 July. In Yerevan they are due to discuss the latest developments regarding the normalisation of the political environment, as well as the reform programme started by the authorities, in particular election reform ahead of the 2012 parliamentary elections.
15/07/2011 | President
The autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia in Moldova is a good model for the peaceful coexistence of different national communities in one country – and could be “an inspiration” for other European countries, PACE President Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu has said at the end of a visit to the region. Speaking today following a meeting with the Bashkan of Gagauzia Mikhail Formuzal and other officials in Komrat, Mr Cavuşoğlu said the administrative arrangements for the region – where around 4.5 per cent of Moldova’s population lives – could be used as a model for the reintegration of Transnistria.
12/07/2011 | Monitoring
György Frunda (Romania, EPP/CD) and Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of the Russian Federation, will make a fact-finding visit to Moscow on 13-14 July to discuss with Duma representatives the road-map for fulfilment of Russia’s obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe.
11/07/2011 | President
In a letter of condolence addressed today to the Speaker of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Boris Gryzlov, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu today wrote: “I was shocked and saddened by the news of more than 100 people, many of them children, perishing in a boat accident on the Volga river...
11/07/2011 | Monitoring
The co-rapporteurs of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Monitoring Committee for Georgia, Michael Aastrup Jensen (Denmark, ALDE) and Kastriot Islami (Albania, SOC), today hailed the adoption of the amendments to the civil code that allows for other faiths and denominations than the Georgian Orthodox Church to be registered as legal entities of public law.