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.
18/05/2010 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
A report adopted today by the PACE Migration Committee in Paris makes a plea for assisted voluntary return programmes for irregular migrants as a more humane, cheaper and mutually beneficial alternative to forced return or compulsory removal. "These programmes can succeed where forced returns fail, they can contribute to a sustainable return and help development in the country of origin," the rapporteur Özlem Türköne (Turkey, EPP/CD) stressed.
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.
15/05/2010 | President
During his working visit to Crimea (Ukraine) on 14-15 May 2010, PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu welcomed the signing on 13 May 2010 by the President of Ukraine of the Decree concerning additional measures to integrate the Tatars of Crimea. "I very much hope that this decree, aiming at improving the socio-economic situation of the Crimean Tatars and enhancing their participation in social, cultural and political life, will mark the beginning of a new and positive chapter in the situation of the Crimean Tatars in Ukraine," declared the PACE President.
14/05/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has called on the authorities of Armenia to draw on the recommendations of its ad hoc parliamentary committee and of PACE in relation to the events of 1-2 March 2008 and to adopt and implement in due time a roadmap of reforms. Such clear determination is needed in order to restore public confidence, move towards reconciliation and consolidate the democratic process in the country, he said.
12/05/2010 | Standing Committee
PACE Standing Committee will be meeting in Skopje on Friday 21 May 2010 to discuss the priorities of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, which, since yesterday, has held the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, the Organisation’s executive body. After the opening of the meeting by Mevlüt Çavusoglu, President of the PACE, and a welcoming address by Trajko Veljanoski, President of the Assembly of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, the Standing Committee will hold an exchange of views with Antonio Miloshoski, Minister for Foreign Affairs of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, who will be chairing the Committee of Ministers for the next six months.
11/05/2010 | President
In his speech before today’s session of the Committee of Ministers, the PACE President congratulated the Swiss Chairmanship for its efforts to improve the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights. He thanked the Swiss Foreign Minister, Mrs. Calmy-Rey, for having strengthened dialogue with PACE and said he was convinced that this kind of relations will be continued during the Chairmanship of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and its Foreign Minister, Mr. Miloshoski.
11/05/2010 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
The veiling of women is often perceived as “a symbol of the subjugation of women to men” and could be a threat to womens’ dignity and freedom, but there should be no general prohibition on wearing the burqa and the niquab, a PACE committee has declared. In a draft resolution adopted yesterday at a meeting in Istanbul, PACE’s Committee on Culture, Science and Education said legal restrictions may be justified “for security purposes, or where the public or professional functions of individuals require their religious neutrality, or that their face can be seen”.
10/05/2010 | President
PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu will make a visit to Armenia on 12-13 May, during which he will meet the President of the Republic Serzh Sargsyan, the President of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandyan, members of different political factions represented in the National Assembly, and the extra-parliamentary opposition.