Conflict in Georgia: the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, invites his colleagues to an informal ministerial meeting
Council of Europe
Strasbourg, 04.09.2008 - The Council of Europe’s Ministers’ Deputies met on 3 September to discuss the conflict in Georgia and to take stock of the present situation. The Deputies listened to statements made by Georgia and Russia. They were informed about the action taken or planned by the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, the Swedish Minister Carl Bildt and by the various Council of Europe bodies such as the Parliamentary Assembly, the Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe Development Bank, since the outbreak of the conflict. In this context, the importance of coherence of all efforts within the Council of Europe was stressed and the meeting provided an opportunity to ensure a co-ordinated approach.
There was agreement about the seriousness of the conflict: two member states having engaged in open war with considerable loss of lives and suffering imposed on civilians; the core values of the Council of Europe thus being challenged. The importance of member states’ respect for the obligations and commitments which are inherent to their membership in the Council of Europe was therefore underlined. The Deputies and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe underlined the responsibility of the Committee of Ministers to monitor the full implementation of the commitments made by each member state.
The Deputies were informed that the Chairman-in-office intends to convene, in the coming weeks, his colleagues to an informal ministerial meeting to assess the situation in the unique pan-European forum of the Council of Europe. The meeting should provide political guidance as to the future action of the Council of Europe.
The conflict in Georgia will continue to be on the agenda of future Deputies’ meetings.
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