Georgia Takes on Council of Europe Chairmanship
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has received the emblematic keys to commence the official assumption of the Presidency of the Council of Europe (CoE) from the Committee of Ministers in Strasburg. The presidency passed from France to Georgia at a session at the organization’s Strasbourg headquarters.
“In the capacity of the Presidency offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the 3 pillars of t/Organization: democracy, human rights&rule of law. This is both – challenging & encouraging at the same time. Glad to underline that Georgia & @CoE has been interlinked by 20 yrs collaboration” The FM Zalkaliani wrote on twitter.
Minister Zalkaliani, the new Chair of the Committee of Ministers, proposed the priorities of the Georgian Presidency, which will continue for the next six months.
“Taking over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe today, Georgia makes an extraordinary voluntary financial contribution of 500 K. A large part goes to fighting violence against women #VAW. Thank you Georgia,” the CoE Spokesperson Daniel Holtgen reported.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Georgia's CoE membership. According to the CoE standards, the chair "acts in a neutral way and ensures that the rules and guidelines are respected”. The position must further “guide the discussions, puts proposals to the vote and announce decisions”.
The Georgian PM also commented on Georgia's attaining the CoE presidency. “Now we have the opportunity to take part in making an agenda and raise issues with our European colleagues we believe are crucial for our country,” Gakharia said.
He further stated that Georgia stands firm on its European choice, which is the choice of the Georgian people.
“We have confirmed our commitment to making a democratic state and strengthening democratic institutions. Even though the path [to Europe] is not easy and we have to be in a reform regime for many years, we will not step aside from the path as it is the choice of our people. We confirm the irreversibility of the choice on a daily basis, even now, during the current developments in the country when the state government fully ensures the freedom of expression [of demonstrators in Tbilisi],” Gakharia said.
The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organization. It is comprised of 47-member states, 28 of which are members of the European Union. Georgia has been a member of the Council of Europe since April 27, 1999.
By Beka Alexishvili