WELCOME NOTES OF MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

TO THE ATTENTION OF MRS MICHELINE CALMY-REY,

HEAD OF THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT

OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF SWITZERLAND AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

(Strasbourg, Monday 26 April 2010, 15h00)

Dear Chairperson,

As the Swiss chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers is drawing near to a close, your address to us today is an opportunity, that I take with great pleasure, in order to express the Assembly’s appreciation and gratitude for all the work done.

In this respect, I wish to make a special mention of the Conference in Interlaken last February, which helped reach important, and much needed decisions regarding the future of the European Court of Human Rights. Your presidency also addressed another key issue which is dear to us as parliamentarians, the strengthening of democratic institutions through participation, with a conference on democracy and decentralisation in St. Gallen.

Dear Chairperson, I would also like to convey our warm thanks for your efforts to strengthen cooperation between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly. The meetings that you convened between you, the Bureau of the Committee of Ministers and the Assembly Presidential Committee set a new pattern of pragmatic and constructive dialogue on all issues of common importance. We have all reasons to believe that thanks to you, this approach will become the norm in the future running of our organisation.

Thank you again, you have the floor.