WELCOME SPEECH BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLYOF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE, TO

Mr DOMINIQUE BAUDIS,

PRESIDENT of the INSTITUTE OF THE ARAB WORLD

(Standing Committee Paris 11 March 2011)

I have pleasure in welcoming Mr Dominique Baudis, President of the Institute of the Arab World in Paris since 2007. This Institution is a partnership between France and 22 Arab countries and its mission is to raise knowledge of Arab culture. It is a place of dialogue and exchange between states, but also between civil societies and, as such, it represents a real cultural bridge between France and the Arab world.

Mr Baudis, we are really glad to profit from your extensive experience with the Arab world, which started already during your military service when you worked as a journalist in Lebanon; it then went on as the foreign correspondent of French Television in the Middle East. In your subsequent functions as grand reporter and TV presenter you have interviewed some of the greatest personalities of the Arab world and have published several books. You are also well-known from your former functions as Chairman of the French Audiovisual Council and Mayor of the city of Toulouse. You have also been a long-standing member of parliament and currently you are a member of the European Parliament.

For the Council of Europe the current events in the Arab world are of major importance - not only because they affect the peace and security in the region and beyond; but also because of our deep historic and cultural links and our close inter-dependence for all major challenges that affect our societies, such as security, the economic crisis, migratory flows, terrorism or climate change.

Most importantly for the Council of Europe, the current revolutions in the Arab world are a powerful proof that the values which the Council of Europe defends and promotes – human dignity and human rights, democracy and the rule of law – are universal. These values can empower even the weakest and most oppressed people and can defeat even the strongest dictatorships.

Yet we must all recognise that these revolutions, by their scope and the determination of their people, have taken us by surprise. Therefore, the most important lesson to learn for us all is how much more dialogue and mutual understanding we need. Our Parliamentary Assembly has played a leading role in that respect and our debate in April on the inter-religious dimension of inter-cultural dialogue will be another important contribution to this. However, we need to bring dialogue and exchange of ideas and experiences to a qualitatively new level.

We also have to confess our lack of power when facing the crimes against humanity that are being committed every day in places such as Libya or the lack of sufficient political will to help relieve the plight of countless refugees resulting from the recent and current events. We urgently need to rethink the way we deal with such massive tragedies.

If the reforms that countries such as Tunisia and Egypt have now undertaken are to be successful, these universal values that led the revolutions must continue to run like a red thread through everything that follows – the adoption of new constitutions, the organisation of free and fair elections, the building of genuinely democratic institutions, enhancing the role of the media and the civil society with more gender balance. In all these areas the Council of Europe has valuable expertise and we have already offered our assistance, for instance, to Tunisia. As for the Assembly, its newly created status of “partner for democracy” for neighbouring states could be a precious tool to bring all those countries interested closer to our standards and principles. As you know, Morocco and the Palestine have already applied. The Assembly, with its long-standing experience, would also be ready to organise the observation of elections in countries of the region.

But, dear friends, I repeat again, we should once and for all forget our traditional mentor attitude towards these countries that are giving us a splendid lesson in dignity and courage. Not forgetting the risks that the current situation presents, let us nevertheless take up the challenge and seize all the opportunities that it offers to build a more secure, prosperous and democratic environment for us all.

Mr Baudis, thank you again for accepting to take the floor, as we are eager to hear your ideas about building further bridges between Europe and the Arab world.