26.01.2010

WELCOME BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,
PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,
TO Mr GEORGE A. PAPANDREOU,
PRIME MINISTER OF GREECE

(Strasbourg, Tuesday 26 January 2010, noon, Hemicycle)

Dear Prime Minister,

It is a great honour to have you amongst us in this truly pan-European forum. We call the Council of Europe the House of Democracy. And “democracy” is a Greek word. This is just one amongst so many contributions that Greece has made to modern civilisation. But it is probably the one that we, as politicians, should cherish the most. The history of Europe after the Second World War has been a clear demonstration of the fact that no lasting peace and stability are possible without democratic principles and practices.

Mr Papandreou, you are the third Prime Minister in your family, which probably means that governance runs through your veins. You are also a truly cosmopolitan person, having lived in the USA, Sweden, Canada and the United Kingdom.

You have a long-standing political experience and have greatly contributed to the promotion of stability and understanding in a troubled region of Europe.

Your efforts to normalise relations between two important members of the Council of Europe have also been greatly appreciated.

This Assembly will therefore greatly benefit from your ideas and experience, especially at a moment when all our societies are struggling to overcome the economic crisis and to build a more humane and just Europe.

Dear Prime Minister, you have the floor.