10 December 2010

ADDRESS BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

AT THE MEETING OF THE EUROPEAN CLUB

(Paris, Monday, 13 December 2010)

Director General,

Ambassador,

Distinguished members of the European Club,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me a great honour to speak at this meeting of the European Club and I would like to thank the President of the Club, Mr Kosachev, for the invitation. Founded in 1999, the European Club now brings together Russian MPs, MPs from different European states, Members of the European Parliament, as well as business people and experts. The aim of the Club is to build a United Europe without dividing lines. This is also a key objective of the Council of Europe whose Parliamentary Assembly I have the honour of chairing.

I would also like to pay tribute to Mr Klimov, Co-chairman of the Russia–EU Parliamentary Co-operation Committee, who, over the past couple of years, has invested a lot of efforts in facilitating a direct and constructive dialogue between Russian and European politicians. The web-site you have launched is indeed an excellent source of information for those wanting to know more about Russia-EU partnership but also for those who want to contribute to Russia-EU dialogue with new ideas and concrete projects.

Dear Colleagues, friends,

As you know, the aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve greater unity between European states in order to safeguard and realise the ideals and principles which are our common heritage. Our values are democracy, human rights and the rule of law. They help us build a United Europe and preserve a long-lasting peace and prosperity on our Continent.

We can only build a United Europe if we become a truly pan-European Organisation. This task is almost fulfilled: today, our Organisation brings together under the same roof and the same flag forty-seven member states - all European countries with the exception of Belarus.

Your country, Russia, is by far the biggest of our members, both by size and population. The fact that your country is a full member of the Council of Europe means that you fully share our common values. Membership in the Council of Europe gives Russian politicians, officials and, ultimately, citizens, the possibility to work on an equal footing with their fellow European colleagues on the most pressing challenges our societies have to face.

And I can assure you that Russia is taking an active part in the work of our Organisation. Russian experts greatly contribute to the work of inter-governmental experts’ committees, dealing with the preparation of new conventions and recommendations. Russian MPs prepare reports for the Assembly and actively participate in debates. Russian is an official working language of the Parliamentary Assembly. I think this fact by itself shows the important role Russia is playing within the Council of Europe.

This year I visited Russia twice, in July and October. From my discussions with Russian politicians and officials I felt that the current climate in the Council of Europe - Russia relations was really positive. In this respect, the ratification by Russia of Protocol 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights was a very important step, which confirmed Russia’s commitment to build a common European legal space and helped in the negotiations on the accession of the EU to the European Convention of Human Rights.

Of course, there is still an open issue of the monitoring procedure with respect of Russia. I understand the frustration of some of you with regard to the fact that, 14 years after accession, Russia is still under monitoring. As some of you know, I was rapporteur of the Monitoring Committee myself and I know well that monitoring is not about criticising and giving lessons. The aim of monitoring is to support, not to sanction. Monitoring is a constructive process where politicians discuss open issues, with respect and understanding for each others’ sometimes diverging opinions.

I do not want to interfere with the work of the rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee. They will make their assessment in their report. For my part, I would like to confirm my deep conviction that Russia is making progress in strengthening its democratic institutions, the rule of law and human rights protection mechanisms. The recent initiatives aiming at modernising the country’s political system and economy are very promising and inspiring. With the recent changes to the electoral legislation, I trust the next parliamentary elections will be held in a more pluralistic context.

Of course, a lot still remains to be done and we certainly have questions on which our opinions differ and there are demands on behalf of the Assembly which Russia still has to fulfil. However, I am convinced that, if we work together as partners with mutual respect and without double standards, progress can be achieved even on these difficult issues.

Dear colleagues, friends,

Before I finish, I would like to mention one more issue – the relations between Russia and the European Union as well as the role the Council of Europe could play in this respect.

It is evident that Russia and the European Union are natural strategic partners. The EU and Russia share the same geographic area, the same history and the same values. Economic ties between the European Union and Russia are strong and mutually beneficial. In this respect, I would like to welcome that at the recent Russia-EU summit held in Brussels last week, your country and the European Union have finally completed negotiations on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation. This is a major step forward!

There are also promising developments on the visa front and there are signals that talks on a concrete roadmap can now start. I trust this process is on the right track and hope very much that you will soon succeed in reaching an agreement on this issue. Direct contacts between people are extremely important as they help build a shared vision for our common European future.

In this context, I would like to stress that the fact that Russia is a full member of the Council of Europe is also beneficial for your relations with the European Union. All EU member states are also members of the Council of Europe. Therefore, by working together with them on the development of common standards and guidelines within the Council of Europe, you have an excellent opportunity to learn from the best of European experience and make your domestic legal framework compatible with the most advanced and modern European standards. At the same time, as a full member of the Council of Europe, Russia has the opportunity to share the best of its own experience with EU member states, thus influencing the development of their own regulations as well. As you see, it is a two-way process and a win-win game!

Dear Colleagues, friends,

Building a United Europe from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Antarctic to the Mediterranean is a fascinating adventure and I am proud that we are all part of it. Therefore, I would like to wish success to us all and look forward to continuing our fruitful co-operation.

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