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Address by Mr Antanas Valionis,Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuaniato the Parliamentary Assembly (23 April 2002)Mr President, Mr Secretary General, honourable parliamentarians, ladies and gentlemen, As the Lithuanian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers approaches its end, I am honoured to address the Assembly for the second time and to present a report on the work of the Committee of Ministers since your Assembly’s last part-session in January. I am very pleased that tomorrow we will witness the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Council of Europe. Two weeks ago, following the Parliamentary Assembly’s favourable opinion and the Committee of Ministers’ decision to invite the country to become a member of the Organisation, I headed a Council of Europe delegation on a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. I would like to note with satisfaction that the highest state authorities underlined the importance of their country’s accession to the Council of Europe for its democratic development and the stability of the region, as well as a firm readiness to implement all commitments foreseen in the respective Parliamentary Assembly Opinion.Important developments at the level of the constitutions of the two Entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina are still to be brought to a satisfactory conclusion, in particular with a view to implementing the decision of the Constitutional Court concerning equality of rights and status for all constituent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their fair representation in all public institutionsIn spite of the positive perspectives opened up by the agreement of the political parties of 27 March 2002, the necessary constitutional amendments have not yet been finally and fully adopted by the Parliaments of both the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. Membership in the Council of Europe requires from all political forces in the country rapid and common action, and it should be used as a strong and decisive impetus to this end. The Committee of Ministers will do its best to encourage the implementation of our fundamental principles in Bosnia and Herzegovina through monitoring and co-operation and assistance programmes.Ladies and Gentlemen,Over the last three months the Committee of Ministers continued to focus its attention on the situation in Moldova, and I myself am following with serious concern the latest developments in the country, including the disappearance of Mr Vlad Cubreacov, who is a member of this Assembly. In my reply to the recent letter of the Moldovan leaders, I appealed the Moldovan authorities to seek dialogue providing open discussions on burning questions leading to solutions strictly adhering to the Council of Europe principles and values. The Committee of Ministers invited the Secretary-General to send, and Mr. Hans Christian Krüger went on 16-18 April on an information and assistance mission to Moldova, to identify possibilities to develop further additional co-operation activities contributing to the democratic stability in Moldova, so that it could continue as a faithful member within the family of European democratic states.The Lithuanian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers supports the initiatives taken by the Secretary General on Moldova, notably exercising the powers conferred on him by Article 52 of the European Convention on Human Rights. It also supports the efforts of the Parliamentary Assembly and the CLRAE, and will follow with great interest the debate on the functioning of democratic institutions in Moldova to be held by your Assembly tomorrow morning.Ladies and Gentlemen,The International Election Observation Mission in its preliminary conclusions stated that elections in Ukraine indicated progress over the 1998 parliamentary polls towards meeting international commitments and standards, though important flaws persisted. Institutions represented in the IEOM are prepared to assist the authorities and civil society of Ukraine to overcome the remaining important challenges and to build on the progress already accomplished. The international community continued engagement in Ukraine is essential for the consolidation of democratic development and the further process of reforms. In this respect I would like to recall to the new Ukrainian authorities the encouragement of the Committee of Ministers to strengthen co-operation with the Council of Europe and ensure full compatibility of Ukrainian legislation and practice with the Organisation’s principles and standards. I would also like to note with appreciation a letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine of 4 April 2002 on the efforts in Ukraine in implementation of these standards.Ladies and Gentlemen,At the beginning of April I visited three Caucasian states - Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia. I met the Presidents of all three countries, the highest executive, parliamentary and judiciary authorities, representatives of the opposition political parties, media and non-governmental organizations, as well as the representatives of the international organisations present in the region. It was my intention to highlight the Council of Europe’s support for the efforts of the national authorities to consolidate democracy, protection of human rights and implementation of the rule of law. I urged them to intensify their co-operation with the Council of Europe. I had frank and constructive discussions with all my interlocutors about the political situation in their countries, the achievements and problem areas regarding their commitments towards the Council of Europe. I am satisfied to report that Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan have a strong political will to further enhance the process of their European integration. Indeed, the number of ratified conventions in these states, including European Convention on Human Rights and its Protocols, has impressed us. In all the three countries, we carried the same message. Whilst welcoming achievements, I also urged the authorities to fulfil the remaining commitments and in particular to implement in practice the already adopted new democratic legislation. The everyday implementation of the Council of Europe’s standards is indeed the key for successful democratisation of societies and the State. We offered the assistance of the Council of Europe in the problem areas. The most difficult challenge the three member States face are their unresolved conflicts. The conflicts of Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia not only undermine the stability and economic prosperity of the whole region, but also hamper the process of democratisation. The peaceful solution of those conflicts through political dialogue is the only acceptable way for the international community. We support efforts of all international organizations, inter alia the OSCE Minsk Group towards the peaceful solution of the conflict.In accordance with the priorities of the Lithuanian Chairmanship, I stressed the need to fully explore the potential of regional co-operation. In my view, the opening of the railway Baku-Nachithevane could be a proper step towards confidence and security building, as well as economic co-operation within the region. I have also proposed to strengthen the parliamentary ties between the Baltic and Caucasian countries. The idea to organize a meeting in Lithuania of the Chairmen of the Baltic and Caucasian legislative bodies (formula 3+3) was very openly received by our colleagues in South Caucasus. We will pursue this idea further on. I brought up the issue of political prisoners with all my Azerbaijani interlocutors. Promises to make further efforts on this issue were received. I also noted, among other issues, the need to further implement administrative reforms as well as to sign and ratify Protocol No.6 to the European Convention on Human Rights concerning abolition of the death penalty in Armenia, as well as to guarantee religious freedom and to ratify the Framework Convention on National Minorities in Georgia.Another challenge for the region is corruption, albeit it affects the three countries at different levels and in different forms. We proposed that Lithuania would share its experience in institutional and legislative means in fighting corruption.Ladies and Gentlemen,In my report following the visit to Russia this January, which was communicated to the Assembly, I noted the importance of membership in the Council of Europe for Russia and the Council of Europe assistance and co-operation programmes for implementation of democratic reforms. During the recent months the situation in Chechnya has continued to attract the attention of the Committee of Ministers. I would like to note with particular satisfaction the agreement between the Secretary General and the Russian authorities on the extended presence of the Council of Europe experts in Chechnya with an enlarged mandate. Lithuania has made a voluntary contribution through UNICEF to the betterment of the humanitarian situation of the Chechen children. Lithuania, in line with the objectives it has set in its programme, has tried to find the means to re-establish dialogue and co-operation between the Council of Europe and the authorities in Minsk. Yet much depends on the Belarussian leaders’ willingness to anchor their country in the system of shared values of the Council of Europe member states. The Chair appreciates the efforts of the Parliamentary Assembly, who has once again invited a Belarussian parliamentary assembly delegation to participate to the current session. Lithuania will continue its efforts in spreading the values of the Council of Europe.Ladies and gentlemen,In a few days, the Lithuania will have the pleasure and honour of organising the 110th Session of the Committee of Ministers in our capital Vilnius. The two main themes on its agenda are: the Council of Europe’s contribution to international action against terrorism and the impact of Regional Co-operation on stability and democratic reforms in the Greater Europe.The need to combat terrorism influenced the work of the Committee of Ministers greatly. The main contribution of the Organization was to help ensure that counter-terrorist measures respect human rights. The three areas for the Council of Europe’s contribution to the international action against terrorism remain intensifying legal co-operation, safeguarding fundamental values and investing in democracy. We note with satisfaction the first activity report of the Multidisciplinary Group on International action Against Terrorism (GMT). The report will be presented to the Committee in Vilnius. The second theme of the 110-th session in Vilnius is the result of an initiative by the Lithuanian Chair, which sees the need to give new impetus to the role of regional co-operation in fostering democratic stability and the unity of Greater Europe, and to strengthen interaction between the Council of Europe and the various existing regional and sub-regional organisations. The objectives of the discussion and the proposed Vilnius Declaration are: - to emphasise the importance of regional co-operation for the promotion of greater unity among all European Countries and democratic stability of the whole continent;- to call for the regional dimension of the Council of Europe’s co-operation programmes to be reinforced;- to encourage setting up new mechanisms for regional co-operation in those parts of Europe where such co-operation does not yet exist and to encourage member states to reinforce regional co-operation mechanisms;- to invite the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to convene a meeting of representatives of regional co-operation mechanisms with the Council of Europe.Mr. Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen,I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation and thankfulness for the co-operation and support that Lithuania and I personally have received from all member states and the Secretariat.I thank you for your attention and I shall now be happy to answer your questions.