During my visit to Moscow, I held meetings with the following religious dignitaries: Patriarch Cyril of Moscow and All-Russia, the Grand Mufti of Russia and Chair of Russia’s Council of Muftis Sheik Ravil Gainutdin and the Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar.
We agreed that intensifying inter-religious and intercultural dialogue is one of the best ways of combating xenophobia, racism, anti-semitism and islamophobia. I invited the religious leaders to the Parliamentary Assembly, if possible in 2011.
I also expressed my appreciation at the good relations existing between the different religions in the Russian Federation, which were developing in a spirit of dialogue and mutual respect.
On 13 October 2010, I address students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and held with them very interesting and inspiring exchange of views. I used this possibility to express my satisfaction at the current positive and constructive climate in the Council of Europe-Russia relations.
On 14 October 2010, I spoke at the opening of an international symposium on Education in Europe – for harmonious development of students, organised by the Council of the Federation of the Russian Parliament. On this occasion, I met Mr Sergey Mironov, Chairman of the Council of the Federation.
In my speech, I recalled that education, and particularly history teaching, can contribute to greater understanding, tolerance and confidence between individuals and between the peoples of Europe. I also highlighted the contribution to the work of the Assembly of our former member, Mr Anatoliy Korobeynikov, rapporteur on “Education for balanced development in school”, who was one of the moving forces behind the organisation of the Moscow conference.
In my intervention at the meeting I highlighted the Assembly’s contribution to the standards and policy guidelines developed by the Council of Europe on the Roma issue. It was particularly rewarding to see that the Assembly recommendations had been reflected in the draft ”Strasbourg Declaration”.
I also informed participants about the Assembly urgent debate on the “Recent rise in national security discourse in Europe: the case of Roma” held during the October part-session, as well as about Assembly Resolution 1740, adopted last June, proposing closer co-operation with the European Roma and Travellers Forum. I also pointed out that the Assembly encourages National Parliaments to include Roma representatives in their delegations to the Assembly.
At the invitation of both Speakers of the Dutch Parliament, I carried out an official visit to Maastricht and the Hague. In Maastricht, I met with local authorities and held a conference with students at the Maastricht School of Management. In the Hague, I met Mr van der Linden, President of the Senate, Mrs Verbeet, President of the House of Representatives. other members of both Chambers and Mr Ben Knapen, Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation.
On 26 October, I addressed the plenary session of the Dutch Senate and, together with many distinguished Dutch personalities, I participated in a round-table meeting on “the Council of Europe as a link and model for stability and peace; the role of Turkey in a modern global world in general and Europe in particular”.
Our discussions during the visit concentrated on the future role of the Council of Europe, its relations with the European Union, the reform of our Organisation as well as the fight against intolerance and discrimination.
In my speech in the Senate, I expressed concerns that mainstream political parties are picking up some of the radical, xenophobic and discriminatory language of extremist parties, which is an extremely worrying trend. I also spoke about the Council of Europe’s action in favour of Roma, but I underlined that the issue of discrimination against Roma was just the tip of the iceberg of the increasing xenophobic feelings in many European societies.
My address to the session of the Congress took place on the day after it elected its new President and Bureau, new Presidents of its Chamber of Local Authorities and Chamber of Regions and after it adopted new structures and working methods.
I therefore took the opportunity to express hope that the good existing cooperation between the Assembly and the Congress would be further strengthened, particularly at committee level. It would be useful to organise more joint meetings to work on matters of common interest, which would increase our efficiency and also help us avoid any duplication of work. I stressed that we should work together particularly on matters the implementation of which depends on the local level, such as environment and good governance, protection of minorities, the fight against discrimination, integration, cultural and religious dialogue, social rights and sustainable development, biodiversity and cross-frontier co-operation.
During my official visit, I met President Mr Demetris Christofias, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr Marios Garoyan, Foreign Minister Mr Markos Kyprianou as well as Mr Nikos Anastasiadis, leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition Party and Council of Europe Ambassadors. In the northern part of the island, I met Mr Dervis Eroglu, leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community as well as representatives of different political forces.
On 2 November, I held a joint meeting with the religious leaders of both communities, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, the Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus Chrysostomos II and the Head of Religious Affairs of the Turkish Cypriot community Mr Mehmet Emin Yeltekin.
In my statement at the end of the visit, I welcomed the continued negotiations between the leaders of the two Cypriot communities under UN auspices, and called on both parties to show political courage and firm determination to find a fair, lasting and comprehensive solution for a peaceful and united Cyprus, which would guarantee the legitimate rights of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots in full compliance with the values and principles of the Council of Europe.
I stressed that both parties must be ready to make compromises to achieve progress, in particular on the most difficult questions, such as the property issue. I also called on politicians and religious leaders to refrain from incitation to intolerance and hate.
I said that humanitarian issues, such as the search for missing persons, should not be politicised and called on European states and international organisations to provide more financial support for the work of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP).
In order to build confidence and trust between both Cypriot communities, I called on them to multiply bi-communal activities and stressed that the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly could make a useful contribution through promoting people-to-people contacts
During the joint meeting with religious leaders, I was very glad that both leaders shared my opinion that churches can and should contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of tolerance on the island. Both leaders agreed to take further steps to promote respect for places of worship in all parts of the island.
After my visit, I was very much surprised that some media reported the Speaker Mr Garoyian as saying that he was “misled” over my visit to the northern part of the island, that I acted as a Turkish official rather than as PACE President and that I stayed in a hotel built on the land of Greek Cypriots while in the north.
I wrote to the Speaker to stress that as he and the members of the Cypriot delegation to PACE knew, my visit to the north was planned from the very outset. Other previous PACE Presidents have visited the northern part of the island during official visits. I also underlined that I strictly kept to and promoted the positions of the Parliamentary Assembly, as set out in resolutions from 2004 and 2008. As regards the hotel in the north, the allegation that it was built on Greek Cypriots’ land was completely unfounded.
In a reply to my letter, the Speaker, while maintaining that my meetings in the north sent a “wrong message”, said that his words were not correctly transmitted by the media.
On the invitation of Mr Vitali, Chairman of the Italian delegation to PACE, I took part in a conference in Rome to mark the 60th anniversary of the Convention, organised in cooperation with the Sapienza University in Rome and PACE.
In my speech, I paid tribute to the progress in the human rights field in Europe achieved thanks to the existence and the application of the Convention, I welcomed the upcoming new chapter in its history with the future EU accession and the current reform of the Court. I pledged PACE's support for these changes.
At the same time, I warned that the European Court of Human Rights should be a “last resort measure”, and that the main responsibility for protecting human rights was with national institutions. In this connection, I stressed that while the Court could help to identify systemic problems in member states, it was the task of national bodies to ensure the protection of citizens’ rights under the Convention.
I used this occasion to call on members states to ratify, if they have not done so, additional protocols to the Convention, drawing a particular attention to the need to ratify Protocol 12 prohibiting discrimination.
In my contribution to the debate I expressed satisfaction that the priorities of the Turkish chairmanship went in the same direction as those of the Assembly: reform of the Council of Europe; the follow-up to the Interlaken process on the reform of the European Court on Human Rights, (the High Level Conference which will take place in Izmir next April); the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights; strengthening the monitoring mechanisms of the organisation.
On another priority of the Turkish Chairmanship, inter-cultural dialogue, I informed participants about the major debate on the religious dimension of inter-cultural dialogue which the Assembly shall organise during our April 2011 part-session. I also expressed hope that the Committee of Ministers and the Assembly will continue cooperating in order to assist countries experiencing major political problems, as well as to bring our neighbouring non-member countries closer to the Council of Europe.
I thanked warmly the outgoing Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Antonio Milošoski, for the excellent cooperation that we enjoyed during his mandate.
At the invitation of the Finnish Parliament, I visited Finland for an official visit from 24-27 November 2010. In Helsinki (24-25 November), I meet President Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi, the Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö, Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and the members of the Finnish delegation to the Assembly. I also gave an address at an open seminar of the Finnish Institute for International Affairs on the topic “The Council of Europe as a human rights defender – relevance and capacities in today’s Europe”.
In the Inari municipality, in the far north of Finland (26-27 November), I met representatives of the local authorities, including Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi, the President of the Sámi Parliament.
During my meetings in Helsinki, I discussed a range of Council of Europe priorities and initiatives, including plans for the reform of the Organisation and the forthcoming accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights. I took this opportunity to thank Finland, a fervent promoter and defender of the Organisation and its values, for its long-standing support for the Council of Europe. I stressed that Finland set an example for other European countries in many areas, such as the fight against discrimination, the rights of minorities, Roma rights, the fight against corruption, women’s rights as well as finding peaceful solutions to regional conflicts.
Furthermore, we discussed difficult situations in Europe, in particular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Moldova, in Belarus and in Cyprus as well as the Council of Europe’s efforts to improve the situation of Roma and to fight intolerance and discrimination.
I reiterated these issues in my speech to the Finnish Institute for International Affairs and during the exchange of views which followed. I underlined the specific contribution of Mrs. Halonen, current President of Finland and former PACE member, to establishing the procedure for monitoring the obligations and commitments of Council of Europe member states in the so-called Halonen Order, presented to the Parliamentary Assembly in 1993. I also recalled the case of the Åland Islands, which, in my opinion, can serve as an historical example for the peaceful settlement of today’s frozen conflicts in Europe.
In my address to the 59th session of the European Security and Defense Assembly (Assembly of the Western European Union) I pointed out to what extent that Assembly had been complementary and closely linked to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe: not only because many of the national delegations to the two Assemblies are the same, but also because together we represent the two main pillars of peace and stability in Europe since the Second World War: the so-called hard security (defense) and soft security (democracy, human rights and the rule of law). I praised the achievements of the European Security and Defence Assembly over the years in ensuring the link between members of the EU, NATO members and all the other European countries, and more generally, its contribution towards increasing the awareness at the highest political level of the need for a stronger common European defense and security policy.
Following the end of the existence of the Western European Union as a result of the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, I did not wish to interfere with the way in which issues that were on the WEU Assembly’s agenda would be debated at a parliamentary level in the future. However I stated my deep conviction that international parliamentary scrutiny is just as essential for democratic stability as the control that is exercised by national parliaments and that this was particularly important when it comes to defense, where we are talking above all about human lives; without forgetting the huge amounts of taxpayers’ money involved.
On the occasion of my visit to Paris, I also participated in the rekindling of Hanukkah Flame, one of the most important Jewish traditions. This was an occasion to stress again my deep belief of the necessity for dialogue between cultures and religions and, more generally, the fight against prejudice and the promotion of tolerance.
During my official visit, I met the President of Bulgaria, the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Justice, the Deputy Minister of the Interior, the leaders of parliamentary political parties as well as other officials. On 10 December, the International Human Rights Day, I went to Varna where I met the Regional Governor and gave a lecture to the students of the Free University of Varna.
I warmly welcomed the democratic transformations in Bulgaria, which enabled it to rapidly join the European Union and NATO. I also stressed that Bulgaria was a constructive, active and reliable partner of the Council of Europe.
I showed appreciation for the efforts that the Parliament was making in order to amend the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure in collaboration with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. At the same time, the proper implementation of this legislation is equally important and I invited the authorities to take this into account.
Fight against corruption and organised crime should also be a priority and I stressed that the authorities had to fully invest themselves into this task.
On the democratic institutions front, I encouraged the key stakeholders to work on a new election law. I stressed that an electoral reform should be based on a broad consensus among different political forces. I invited Parliament and the key political stakeholders to use fully the expertise of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission in electoral matters in order to take into account the best European practices in this field.
The implementation of these and other reforms would create the conditions for closing the Assembly’s “post-monitoring dialogue” with Bulgaria. I expressed my confidence that the authorities had the political will to succeed in this task.
In my meetings I also had an opportunity to discuss other issues, including the reform of the Council of Europe, the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights, the fight against discrimination and the rights of minorities, religious and ethnic groups, including the Roma.
I also addressed a number of regional issues such as the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Albania, in Kosovo and in Moldova. I stressed that Bulgaria was a “factor of stability” in the Balkans. At the same time, I expressed my belief that it should play a greater role in helping other countries in the region with their own European integration. During my meetings, I suggested some concrete mechanisms that Bulgaria could use to achieve this objective.
On 17 December 2010, I attended, together with my colleagues from the Presidential Committee, the Joint meeting between the Presidential Committee and the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission. This meeting was one in a series of joint meetings organised regularly within the framework of the Co-operation Agreement between the Assembly and the Venice Commission.
As usual, our exchange of views was rich, fruitful and constructive. Three key issues were discussed: co-operation between the Assembly and the Venice Commission in Council of Europe member states presenting difficult political and institutional situations; synergies which could be created between the Assembly and the Venice Commission in the implementation of the Assembly’s new status of “Partner for Democracy”; implications of the Council of Europe reform for the Venice Commission as well as the reform of the Assembly.
As far as in country co-operation is concerned, I stressed that the actions of the Assembly and of the Venice Commission were complementary. Since the last joint meeting in 2009, as many as 10 opinions were prepared by the Venice Commission at the request of the Assembly. Joint action at political and legal level by the Assembly and the Venice Commission is instrumental in resolving the current institutional and political crises in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova. The Venice Commission’s support is essential in ensuring that the ambitious and far-reaching democratic reforms in Georgia and Ukraine comply fully with Council of Europe standards.
I also stressed that the Venice Commission’s expertise and experience in working with non-member states of the Council of Europe is extremely useful for the Assembly, in the consideration of the pending and future applications for the “Partnership for Democracy” status. Morocco is a full member of the Venice Commission and the Palestinian National Authority enjoys a special co-operation status with the Commission. Therefore, I invited the Venice Commission to make available all the relevant opinions and studies to the Assembly rapporteurs on the applications for the partnership status.
After the Joint Meeting I had the opportunity to address the Plenary session of the Venice Commission and brief the members of the Commission on the results of our discussions in the Joint Meeting.
During my official visit I met the Speakers of the two Chambers of parliament, the Interior Minister, the Foreign Minister and the President of the Consultative Council on Human Rights. I also met regional authorities in Marrakech.
During all my meetings I stressed that for the Council of Europe, and its Parliamentary Assembly, Morocco was a strategic partner. First of all, because it is a very close neighbour, not only in geographical terms, but also as a modern, liberal, tolerant country, open to the rest of the world and to Europe in particular. And also because many of the challenges in a global world such as migration, sustainable development, intercultural dialogue, fight against terrorism, or fight against all sorts of trafficking, require a coordinated response on both sides of the Mediterranean. In this connexion, I pointed out that Morocco was a strong and reliable partner of Europe and it played a stabilising role in the region.
I welcomed in particular the broad reforms that the country has undertaken during the last decade in the political, economic and social sphere, such as the Initiative for Human development, the new Family Code, the Truth Commission and, more generally, all the work that has been done in order to expand civil liberties and fundamental freedoms and to strengthen democratic institutions and practices.
I showed my appreciation for the excellent cooperation between Morocco and the Council of Europe, Morocco being for instance a member of the Venice Commission and also the first non-European country to have joined the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe. I also urged my parliamentary interlocutors to make full use of the Parliamentary Assembly 2008 Resolution on strengthening cooperation with the Maghreb countries, which has already resulted in regular visits by a Moroccan parliamentary delegation to each Assembly session.
I stressed that the most ambitious objective now was for Morocco to be able to obtain the status of "Partner for democracy" with PACE, which would bring our cooperation to a new level. I praised Morocco for being the first country to have applied for this status and, in doing so, to have made a formal commitment to embrace the values and principles of the Council of Europe and to use its experience as widely as possible. I said that this commitment should now be given specific substance.
During my meetings, I therefore encouraged the Moroccan authorities to join as many Conventions of the Council of Europe open to non-member states as possible, to cooperate closely with the Venice Commission and the Human Rights Commissioner and the Council of Europe monitoring bodies such as the CPT or the ECRI. I also congratulated Morocco on the moratorium on death penalty which has existed since 1993 – but also pointed out that Morocco could come even closer to Council of Europe standards in this respect.
I encouraged the authorities to make further progress in the democratisation of the country, paying special attention for instance to issues such as giving even bigger rights to women, as well as fully respecting human rights in the fight against terrorism.
I also stressed that if Morocco strengthened its cooperation with the Council of Europe in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, this would also help further integration with the European Union in the framework of its “Advanced status” with Morocco and the European Neighbourhood Policy.
With all my interlocutors, we also discussed the issue of Western Sahara. I exposed the Assembly’s position on this issue in a resolution of 2004 in which it gives its full support for a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution in the framework of the United Nations. My meetings helped me gain a better insight of the Moroccan position on this issue, which I promised to report back to Strasbourg.
At the invitation of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Tunisia, I visited Tunisia on 10-12 January 2011. During my visit, I met Mr Fouad Mebazaâ, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr Abdallah Kallel, President of the Chamber of Advisors, Mr Mohamed Ghannouchi, Prime Minister, Mr Kamel Morjane, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr Mohamed Nouri Jouini, Minister of Development and International Co-operation.
My visit took place at a very turbulent moment: protests over the current social and economic situation, which started mid-December 2010, degenerated in early January into massive clashes with the police leading to the death of at least 78 people, according to official sources. Leaders of trade unions and international NGOs say the death toll may even be higher.
In this context, I expressed profound concern at the recent social and economic tension. I called upon the authorities to manage the current crisis in a responsible manner and in full respect of Council of Europe principles, ensuring in particular full respect of the freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and avoiding disproportionate use of force by law enforcement agencies. I called upon the authorities to investigate fully the events and provide the population with comprehensive unbiased information.
At the same time, during my visit, I presented to the authorities the opportunities offered by the new status of “Partnership for Democracy” with the Assembly as well as the important conditions attached to the granting of this status. I stressed that while there were many issues of common concern on which we could work together (e.g. migration, prevention of terrorism, trafficking in human beings, intercultural dialogue and its inter-religious dimension), the Tunisian authorities had to make further progress in order to meet the conditions for granting the partnership status with the Assembly, especially, in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The representatives of all parties represented in Parliament as well as the Speakers of both Chambers of Parliament showed great interest and enthusiasm with respect to the opportunities offered by this new status. I trust the new Parliament to be formed as a result of early elections scheduled to take place later during 2011 will take further steps in this direction soon.
In my meetings with the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as the Minister of Development and International Co-operation I encouraged our partners to use fully other opportunities for co-operation: enlarged partial agreements, especially, in the field of democracy and human rights. In this respect, I advised the authorities to use the expertise of the Venice Commission in legislative reforms as well as apply for membership in the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre.
At this hearing, I said that we should not argue about the past anymore and that we now needed to discuss the future. I stressed that the cornerstone of building the future was of course a lasting political settlement of the conflict in conformity with international law and guaranteeing security and freedoms and rights of the populations concerned. I added that until this lasting settlement was found, the conflict would continue to compromise both stability and economic development of the whole region.
I concluded saying that we must, first of all, deal with the living conditions, human rights and perspectives of the populations directly affected by these conflicts and that I was persuaded that, if we are really determined and concerted, we can and must achieve concrete results on this 'humanitarian dimension " of the consequences of the war without further delay.