09/12/2010 President
09.12.2010 – PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has welcomed the strong determination of Bulgarian authorities to fight corruption and organised crime, an outstanding issue in the Parliamentary Assembly’s “post-monitoring dialogue” with Bulgaria.
The President was speaking mid-way through a three-day official visit to the country (8-10 December), during which he met the country’s President, Speaker of Parliament and Foreign Affairs and Justice Ministers, among others.
The President described Bulgaria as a “contructive, active and reliable” partner for the Council of Europe, pointing out that its democratic transformation had enabled it to rapidly integrate into the EU and NATO.
Mr Çavusoglu expressed appreciation for the Parliament’s efforts to amend the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure in collaboration with the Council of Europe’s group of independent legal experts, the Venice Commission. However only full implementation of these laws would be a successful outcome, he stressed. The President also encouraged further work on a new election law, pointing out that this would require a wide consensus among different political forces.
Other issues discussed included reform of the Council of Europe, the accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights, the fight against discrimination and the rights of minorities, including religious and ethnic groups.
Talks also focused on regional issues such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo* and Moldova. The President said Bulgaria was a “factor for stability” in the Balkans, but suggested ways that it could play a greater role in helping other countries in the region with their own European integration.
Mr Çavusoglu concluded by expressing his conviction that the determination of the authorities to intensify reforms would create the conditions for the closing of the Assembly’s post-monitoring dialogue.
* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.