PACE President Mevlüt Çavusoglu is convinced that chairmanship of Ukraine over the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will be successful.
"I believe that Ukraine´s chairmanship will be successful, and the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly will cooperate with Ukraine," M. Çavusoglu stated on Wednesday, meeting Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Parties stressed that Ukraine set the following priorities of its chairmanship over the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe protection of children´s rights, human rights, and supremacy of law in the context of supporting democracy and stability in Europe, and strengthening and development of local democracy.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that cooperation with PACE is essential for Ukraine. He was looking forward to meeting PACE President, as it confirms a high level of cooperation between the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Assembly (this is the sixth meeting since M. Çavusoglu was elected PACE President in 2010).
V.Lytvyn expects that sitting of the PACE Bureau and the Standing Committee in Kyiv on May 26-27 with the participation of Kostiantyn Hryshchenko, head of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine, will strengthen cooperation between Ukraine, PACE and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. He believes that further reforms of the Council of Europe will make "the role of the Council of Europe and its Assembly more significant."
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that it was symbolic that Ukraine took over the Chairmanship over the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Turkey.
The sides discussed implementation of reforms in Ukraine. "Ukraine should not only talk about the areas of work in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, but also demonstrate such work within the country," V.Lytvyn stressed.
According to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ukraine should implement comprehensive reforms, fostering a lasting dialogue between the authorities and the public. V.Lytvyn believes that Ukraine needs an impartial assessment of the situation, real opportunities, and sustainable development.
PACE President commented on the situation with BYuT leader Yulia Tymoshenko. In his turn, V.Lytvyn called for a transparent approach to this case. "We should demonstrate self-control and rule of law," he stated.