The FINANCIAL — At the close of his visit to the Russian Federation, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) underlined the major role played by this country at the European and international levels, saying "I am pleased that Russia is assuming to the full its due role within the Council of Europe," according to the Parliamentary Assembly.
The Organisation needs Russia's support to make progress on certain strategic issues, in particular the reform of monitoring mechanisms, EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights and the development of a comprehensive and effective pan-European system for safeguarding fundamental rights and freedoms in Europe, the situation in Europe's southern neighbourhood, particularly in the Middle East, and North-South Co-operation, he declared, adding "The Council of Europe's fundamental remit is human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe."
Concerning the reform of the Assembly's monitoring procedure, President Mignon drew attention to the urgent need to take stock of the implementation of this key Assembly function: "In particular, all the member States, without distinction, must be confronted with their responsibilities, so as to ensure that our standards are applied throughout the Council of Europe area. I commend the commitment of the Russian parliamentary delegation, and other national delegations, in this respect. I hope that together we will succeed in giving a major boost to this process, transforming the monitoring procedure into an even more effective tool for dialogue and co-operation."
Russia has been a member of the Council of Europe for 17 years. "The record of the country's participation in our Organisation is positive. We can provide you with a broad range of good practice guidance for implementing the necessary reforms. I am convinced that the good relations between Russia and the Council of Europe enable us to exploit our co-operation's potential to the full. I am therefore in favour of developing co-operation between the Council and Russia based on the programmes already approved, and also in other priority fields that we should identify together. In this connection, I welcome the recent opening of a Council of Europe programme office in Russia and I am sure that this office's activities will help further intensify our co-operation," declared Jean-Claude Mignon.
"I note with satisfaction the Russian authorities' support for the creation of greater synergies between various regional organisations in Europe, so as to guarantee enhanced complementarity and reinforce co-operation at the pan-European level," he concluded.
During his visit, which took place from 12 to 14 November 2013, Jean-Claude Mignon had meetings with the Speaker of the State Duma, the President of the Federation Council, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the State Duma. He also held discussions with the Chair of the Central Election Committee and the Ombudsman.
The President of PACE also took part in the 2nd International Parliamentary Forum and in a conference hosted by the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University).
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