122^ND ASSEMBLY OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

SPEECH BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

“PARLIAMENT AT THE HEART OF POLITICAL RECONCILIATION

AND GOOD GOVERNANCE”

(BANGKOK, THAILAND, 27 MARCH – 1^ST APRIL 2010)

Dear President, dear Colleagues,

The Council of Europe, which I have the honour to represent here, was founded in the wake of the Second World War, by political leaders who shared the firm will to prevent similar tragic conflicts from happening again. The headquarters of the Organisation was placed in Strasbourg, on one of the most tormented European borders. Reconciliation was the “raison d’être” of the Council of Europe. The fundamental values that we support and promote: democracy, human rights and the rule of law, are the aim of our Organisation, but they are also a means to an end: namely, reconciliation and long-lasting peace on our Continent.

One can therefore say that political reconciliation is rooted in our Organisation, it is part of its DNA. It is not surprising, then, that the Council of Europe also played a major role in the 1990’s, in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet bloc. At that turning point in European history, the Council and its Parliamentary Assembly lived a “second youth”. We supported the countries in Central and Eastern Europe that were building or reconstructing their democratic institutions. Now all European countries – with the exception of Belarus – are under the same roof and the same flag within the Council of Europe.

However, not all the critical situations in Europe are solved, and new problems have arisen. Just think of the Balkans, where some of the issues created by the dissolution of former Yugoslavia are still pending. Not to mention the recent war between Russia and Georgia and the “frozen” conflicts in the Caucasus as well as Cyprus.

For these reasons, we can share our experience with the countries represented here in this Assembly, some of which have experienced wars and massive violations of human rights in the recent past and are now facing the necessity of political reconciliation.

Let me give you some examples of our actions:

• The Parliamentary Assembly has set up a Tripartite Forum gathering together members of the Knesset of Israel, the Palestinian Legislative Council and our Assembly;

• We are actively involved in Cyprus: we are the only European Assembly in which Turkish colleagues from the North of Cyprus participate on a regular basis.

• In Bosnia and Herzegovina, to overcome the heritage of the ethnic divisions created by the Dayton Agreement, we urge the national authorities to make swift constitutional changes to end all kinds of discrimination in elections and grant equal political rights for all citizens.

Involving the young generation in a reconciliation process is of prime importance if we want it to be fruitful and to produce long-lasting effects. That is why, in the Council of Europe, we believe in investing in youth. A network of 16 Schools of Political Studies was created by our Organisation in Eastern, South-Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, to train future generations of political, economic, social and cultural leaders in countries in transition. Once a year, they meet in Strasbourg for the “Summer University for Democracy”.

Furthermore, whenever we talk about “political reconciliation”, the issue is not purely political, nor is it purely legal. Ethics and moral are also deeply involved. Even though we act in our capacity as parliamentarians, or as political representatives, we must be aware that our action has a moral aspect. That is also why intercultural and inter-faith dialogue is major issue of our times. This dialogue must be given a top priority on our political agendas, as the best instrument to reinforce mutual understanding and fight extremism. Sadly, this is not always the case.

Finally, I would like to deal with two important issues: terrorism and trafficking of human beings.

The Parliamentary Assembly is seriously concerned with the issue of the fight against terrorism. We consistently affirmed that it is absolutely necessary to prevent and combat terrorism, but that human right abuses committed in the pursuit of the so-called “war on terrorism” cannot be accepted. Such violations play into the hands of the terrorists and ultimately serve to strengthen those who aim to destroy the established political, legal and social order. The Assembly was the first international body to react on the issue of alleged secret detention in Council of Europe member states. We launched an investigation, led by our Swiss member Dick Marty, immediately after these practices were exposed by Human Rights Watch. The example set by the Parliamentary Assembly was followed by other European institutions, such as the European Parliament. The Council of Europe is also at the origin of a Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, signed by 41 States, which entered into force in 2007.

As for human trafficking, this has become a major problem in Europe. This phenomenon has reached such levels that it can be considered a new form of slavery, and it undermines the values on which the Council of Europe is based.

In Europe, the Assembly has taken a lead on this issue. We played an important role in the drafting of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, and we are still actively involved in promoting its ratification and enforcement. The Convention reached 10 ratifications and therefore entered into force in 2008, but we are still working for many more to join.

I would also like to share a major element with this audience: both conventions are open to non-Council of Europe member states and I would like to invite you all to consider their potential for you countries.

Dear colleagues,

We now live in a multi-polar world and we are more interdependent than ever. Europe has certainly no lessons to give, but I believe that we all need to learn from each other and exchange experience and good practices. I very much hope that this IPU session will be a further step in this direction.

Thank you for your attention.