21.6.2011

WELCOME BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

TO MR ABDELWAHED RADI,

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF MOROCCO

AND TO MR MOHAMED CHEIKH BIADILLAH,

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF COUNSELLORS OF MOROCCO

STRASBOURG, Tuesday 21 June 2011, 11.50 am

Dear President of the House of Representatives,

Dear President of the House of Councillors,

Dear friends,

This is indeed a special moment for all of us and I do not hesitate to call it a historic moment.

With Morocco becoming our first “partner for democracy” – hopefully followed by others very soon - the Council of Europe is acquiring a new dimension. A dimension that can only be compared to what we experienced following the fall of the Berlin wall.

Although there have never been any physical walls between us in Europe and our closest neighbours, there has been, unfortunately, a lot of miscomprehension and prejudice on both sides. Yet we have so much in common, in terms of history, culture, trade and human contacts in general. But first and foremost, we are all human beings longing for peace, prosperity, equal rights and the rule of law.

In this context, the status of partner for democracy is proof of the far-sightedness of our Assembly, which foresaw, already back in 2009, the importance of bringing cooperation with our closest neighbours to a qualitatively new level. We therefore hope that during our next session we shall also be able to grant the Partner for Democracy status to Palestine and that other countries will soon apply.

As in 1989, today marks a new opening, both for the Council of Europe and for our partners. It is a give-give situation, in which our organisation can share our huge acquis in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, but at the same time learn from our colleagues about their realities and their needs and aspirations. And, most importantly, we can now join forces in order to find common responses to the common challenges that we are facing. We can work together towards a world which is more peaceful, more stable, more democratic and more prosperous for all of our citizens.

Dear Speakers, let me praise the Moroccan parliament for having been the first one to request the Partner for Democracy status in February 2010, less than two months after the status was established by the Assembly. However, our cooperation was intensive even before then, with Moroccan parliamentarians attending practically all our part-sessions under the terms of Assembly Resolution 1598 (2008). Thank you for your personal dedication to strengthening our relations and our cooperation.

We are now looking forward to welcoming, during our next part-session, as well as in our committees, the first Moroccan delegation composed under the terms of the Partner for Democracy status.

Today’s vote in the Chamber has been an acknowledgment of the hard work and the ambitious reforms undertaken in Morocco over the last years. At the same time, it is a gauge for the future: as the resolution that we have just adopted states, the Assembly deems it important that Morocco continues on the path of democratic transformation. We welcome the constitutional reforms that were presented by King Mohammed last Friday and which will be put to a referendum on 1 July. We hope that the implementation of these reforms will be conducted in close cooperation with the Venice Commission. We also hope that the next parliamentary elections will be up to the highest Council of Europe standards and we are ready to lend our assistance in their preparation, as well as to observe them on election day.

Dear Speakers, the resolution that has been just adopted includes a fairly long list of criteria which would determine the progress of our cooperation. I believe that this list commits you just as much as it commits us, as it is the expression of a common will. Please be assured that the Assembly will support you in any possible way in this process.

Dear friends, until today this Assembly was referred to as our common European home. As from today, I would simply call it our common home. Please make yourselves at home. The floor is yours.