“Finland has very strong democratic traditions and it has always been a fervent promoter and defender of the Council of Europe and its values,” PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu said today in his speech to the Finnish Institute for International Affairs as part of his official visit to Finland (24-27 November). “It is an example for many other European countries as a leader in fields such as the fight against discrimination, the rights of minorities, Roma rights and the fight against corruption, and it holds records in women’s rights.”
He also stressed the importance of the so-called Halonen Order, presented by the currrent President of Finland in 1993 in the Parliamentary Assembly with the objective of introducing a procedure for monitoring the obligations and commitments made by Council of Europe member states. Finally, he recalled the case of the Åland Islands, which, as he put it, “can serve as an historical example for the peaceful settlement of today’s frozen conflicts in Europe”.
Earlier today, the PACE President met the Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö. Other official meetings scheduled in Helsinki (24-25 November) include President Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi, Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and the members of the Finnish delegation to the Assembly. In the Inari municipality, in the far north of Finland (26-27 November), the PACE President will meet representatives of the local authorities, including Klemetti Näkkäläjärvi, the President of the Sámi Parliament.
