28/09/2015 Session
“Fair and respectful treatment for refugees is not only a moral, but a legal obligation of member States as well,” said Igor Crnadak, Foreign Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressing the Assembly as the current Chairperson of the Council of Europe’s executive body, the Committee of Ministers.
He recalled that the Committee of Ministers insisted that all member States treat refugees in accordance with international law, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights, underlining that dealing with the refugee crisis was the responsibility of each member State.
“It is very important that the Council of Europe is involved in the solution to the refugee crisis, since it is the highest European authority on the issues of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” he added.
Mr Crnadak also called on governments in South East Europe to “work on easing the tensions and to find a solution in the best interests of the region and of the refugees,” and proposed to host an urgent meeting with the representatives of the countries involved in order to find acceptable solutions based on the values of the Council of Europe.
The Foreign Minister also reported on the activities of the Chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina since May and announced two events organised in Sarajevo in the framework of its priorities, namely a high-level conference on the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on the prevention of violence against women, and an exchange on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue, focusing on the role of religions and non-religious beliefs in preventing violent extremism.