SPEECH BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE, FOR MR GJORGJE IVANOV,

PRESIDENT OF “THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA”

(STRASBOURG, THURSDAY 24 JUNE 2010, NOON)

Dear President,

It is an honour and a pleasure to welcome you in this Chamber, particularly at a moment when your country is chairing the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. I also recall the very constructive meeting that we had in Skopje during the Assembly meetings in May 2010.

As a leading expert in political science, you have greatly influenced the promotion of the founding principles of our Organisation – democracy, human rights and the rule of law – in your country. You are the co-founder of the first Macedonian political science journal and the founder and honorary President of the Macedonian Political Science Association. You are also one of the principal founders of the Institute for Democracy, a leading Macedonian think-tank which has helped shape the political landscape in your country. You have influenced a generation of students and are also very active in links with the civil society.

Dear President, your country has been advancing convincingly on the path to European integration. The Assembly will continue to lend its support for your efforts to join the European Union as soon as possible. The Assembly closed its monitoring procedure in recognition of the democratic achievements of your country, but the adopted legislation must be reinforced through greater dialogue and confidence-building measures in society. In this connexion, we hope that the parliament will follow the Council of Europe advice on its rules of procedure, namely in what concerns the balance between governing parties and opposition. The authorities should also finalise their work on the latest judiciary and administrative reforms as soon as possible.

Dear President, you have the floor.