28/01/2025 Session
“When we feel that our bearings are being lost, we must always return to our values. The values that bring us together, the values that are the foundation of our Organisation. Let us never forget why the Council of Europe exists,” said the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, addressing the Assembly. “That is why I am convinced that dialogue is essential. Real dialogue. The kind that involves all players,” he added.
“It was in this spirit that I went to Georgia last December with a large delegation from the Secretariat. It is in this spirit that your rapporteurs have been there in recent weeks. It is in this spirit that the Commissioner for Human Rights has been there in recent days,” emphasised Mr Berset. “My visit to Tbilisi last December enabled us to achieve a number of results: the release of imprisoned demonstrators, a commitment to refrain from the disproportionate use of force, the guarantee of independent, transparent and effective investigations into allegations of police violence, the creation of a joint working group, with experts from the Council of Europe, to substantially amend the law on foreign influence,” he added.