28/05/2010 President
Strasbourg, 28.05.2010 – PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has called for a political culture which values diversity. “Even if democracy means that the views of the majority prevail, there should be a balance which ensures fair treatment of minorities and avoids any abuse of a dominant position,” he said, addressing delegates at the Third Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilisations in Rio.
Cultural diversity and dialogue between cultures were a priority for the Council of Europe, the president said. Speaking at a thematic session on democracy, good governance and diversity, he pointed out that the Council was a “perfect illustration” of the link between these three attributes.
Bringing together political ideas, cultures, languages and religions in the light of shared values was the key to the Organisation’s success, he said: “Our diversity gives us the wealth of ideas and good practices; whereas our unity, deriving from our shared values, gives us the strength to overcome differences and tackle new challenges.”
The President was attending the Forum - whose theme is “Bridging cultures, building peace” - alongside Brazilian President Lula da Silva and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as well as one of the two co-sponsors of the initiative, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.