24/01/2011 Session
PACE President Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and the chairs of the five political groups today paid tribute to Mateo Sorinas, on the eve of his retirement, for his 33 years of outstanding work in the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly, and in particular for the last five years spent as PACE Secretary General.
“Your capacity to anticipate political developments has always helped our Assembly react in a timely and appropriate manner to the challenges democracy, rule of law and human rights have to face in today’s societies”, said President Çavuşoğlu. “Your human qualities, open and friendly approach, and your availability to support and accompany colleagues in their professional development have helped create an excellent working environment in the Assembly”, he added.
Recalling his first contact with the Council at a seminar in 1963, Mr Sorinas said that as he was living at that time under a dictatorship, it was in Strasbourg that he had discovered the true meaning of “democracy” and “freedom”. He added that “the Assembly’s responsibility is to ensure that the Council of Europe remains the reference institution in the field of human rights; it has a duty to pass on the clear message that democracy is a work in progress. It must remain vigilant to ensure that states make no mistakes which would jeopardise democracy”, he stressed. Thanking all those with whom he had worked in the Council of Europe, Mr Sorinas wished his successor, Wojciech Sawicki, every success.