SPEECH BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

FOR MR TRAIAN BĂSESCU, PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA

(Strasbourg, Thursday 27 January 2011, noon)

Dear President,

It is a great pleasure and an honour to welcome you in this Chamber - which represents politically the whole of Europe - including your own country, Romania.

Since 1993, Romania has been an active and constructive member of the Council of Europe and since 2007, also of the European Union. This is a reflexion of the dynamic and ambitious development of your country, which has managed to overcome the difficult challenges of the past and embrace fully the values of a modern European democracy.

In this connexion, I recall our very positive meeting during my official visit to Romania at the end of last summer, during which we identified several ways in which we can cooperate in seeking solutions to the most acute problems that all European countries have to face today. In particular I would like to mention the involvement of the Council of Europe in fighting racism, xenophobia and discrimination of all kinds and praise Romania for the successful dealing with minority issues and the efforts aimed at increasing the integration of minorities in the political, economic and social life of the country.

I also take this opportunity to reiterate my hope that the authorities will intensify the fight against corruption and continue the judicial reforms, also with a view to reducing the number of applications lodged before the European Court of Human Rights.

We also appreciate the contribution of Romania to the democratic stability of South-Eastern Europe and look forward to hearing your views on some regional issues as well.

Dear President, you are an experienced politician, but also a ship captain. This is a precious combination of skills. In today’s Europe, we need people who can clearly define the direction to move forward and who can navigate through troubled waters. We look forward to hearing your address. You have the floor.