The FINANCIAL — Strasbourg, 18.07.2011 – PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu has said that the “winds of change” sweeping the Arab world offer “huge opportunities” for the creation of a neighbourhood to Europe which is more peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous.
Addressing a round table at the Odessa National Academy of Law, Mr Çavusoglu listed the steps the Council of Europe – and particularly the Assembly – was taking to share its deep knowledge of democratic transformation, yet without “giving lessons or imposing models”.
Freedom, dignity and democracy should not remain “just slogans on the streets of Tunis, Cairo and elsewhere, or just topics of conversation on Facebook and Twitter,” the President said. The challenge was to translate them into specific actions on the ground – and begin the “immense task” of changing minds, attitudes and practices.
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