21/06/2010 | Session
The Chair of the Committee of Ministers, Antonio Miloshoski, has described his country's priorities over the coming months: supporting the Interlaken process to ensure the long term effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights, protecting national minorities and marginalised groups such as Roma and encouraging intercultural dialogue and the participation of young people in public affairs. He told his audience that he was looking for an open, informal and constructive dialogue with the Assembly and that he knew he could count on their support in securing his chairmanship's objectives.
21/06/2010 | Session
In his first address ever before the Parliamentary Assembly as Croatian President, Ivo Josipovic called the role of the Council of Europe "indispensable" for promoting human rights and described in detail the condition of democracy, human rights and freedoms in his country. He outlined progress made and challenges still to be faced with regard to minority rights, refugees and displaced persons, fighting corruption, reforming the judiciary, cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and working with neighbours in the Balkans to improve regional stability.
21/06/2010 | Session
This session will be marked by the venue of three Heads of State and Government from the Western Balkans, a communication by the Macedonian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers and a debate on the situation in Kosovo, the PACE President said in his opening speech of the PACE June session today. He stressed that together with his official visits to the region and PACE’s previous discussions on Albania as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, the priority given to the issues at stake there were a clear illustration of the Balkan dimension of the Council of Europe and of his presidency in particular.
21/06/2010 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today elected Márton Braun (Hungary, EPP/CD) Vice-President of the Assembly with respect to Hungary.
21/06/2010 | Session
Adopting the final agenda of its Summer 2010 plenary session (21-25 June), the Assembly decided to hold an urgent debate on the flare-up of tension in the Middle East (Thursday morning) and a current affairs debate on the situation in Kyrgyzstan (Thursday afternoon), followed by the debate on the handling of the H1N1 pandemic. The debate on prohibiting the marketing and use of the “Mosquito” youth dispersal device has been removed from the agenda. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, President of the Republic of Ingushetia (Russian Federation) will address the Assembly in the framework of the debate on legal remedies for human rights violations in the North Caucasus Region.
18/06/2010 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
On the occasion of World Refugee Day, the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Antonio Miloshoski and Assembly President Mevlüt Çavusoglu, referred to this year’s theme "home" and underlined the vulnerability of all those who had to flee from their home and their country. They drew attention to the obligation of Council of Europe member states to comply with international treaties for the protection of refugees and asylum seekers and the necessity to collaborate with the UNHCR.
18/06/2010 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
“World Refugee Day is an important opportunity to remind governments of their human rights obligations to asylum seekers and refugees. Our Committee continues to be concerned about the treatment of child migrants and refugees. The committee has recently reconfirmed its total opposition to the detention of child migrants and its concerns over forced returns", declared John Greenway (United Kingdom, EDG), Chair of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population on the eve of World Refugee Day on 20 June.
17/06/2010 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
John Greenway, Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, has expressed his concern about the possible forthcoming closure of the office of the UNHCR in Libya. “I am deeply worried to learn that UNHCR has received instructions from the Libyan Government to cease its activities and to close down its office in Libya. UNHCR has a great deal of work to do in Libya to protect, assist and find durable solutions for the refugees there", he said.
17/06/2010 | President
Speaking on 11 June at the ‘European Forum Cyprus’, a Council of Europe initiative, which is co-financed by the European Union and brings together young Cypriot leaders from all walks of life in the two communities on the island, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu told participants that this initiative was essential to foster dialogue, mutual respect, confidence and co-operation between future generations of leaders of the island – a necessary condition for a peaceful and prosperous Cyprus.
16/06/2010 | President
During a press conference organised at the end of his official visit to Georgia from 13 to 15 June, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu stressed that by coming to Georgia early in his Presidency he wanted to show the importance he attached to the country, its ongoing democratic reforms as well as its plight after the August 2008 war. He said his talks had focused on the consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia and the role that the Council of Europe, and especially PACE, could and should play in this respect as well as the ongoing democratic reforms and outstanding commitments of Georgia to the Council of Europe.
14/06/2010 | Session
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has been named as “Politician of the Year” by Turkey’s Association of European Journalists. Mr Çavusoglu, a founding member of the AK Party and Member of Parliament for Antalya since 2002, was elected President of PACE in January. He received the award from the Chairman of the Association Adnan Fisenk at a ceremony at the Conrad Hotel in Istanbul on Saturday 12th June.
12/06/2010 | President
At a moment when European democracies are faced with a multitude of challenges, not least the impact of the economic crisis, globalisation and the need to react with swift decisions, the sense of responsibility by all political forces and the courage to support unpopular choices is extremely important, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Mevlüt Cavusoglu and the Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Cyprus, Marios Garoyian, said at the end of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Limassol today.