EMBAJADA
DE LA FEDERACION DE RUSIA
EN LA
REPUBLICA DEL PERU
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e-mail: embrusa@infonegocio.net.pe
BOLETIN INFORMATIVO 9
Thesis for media coverage of the Russian
Federation’s
assuming Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
at the 116th Session of CMCE in Strasbourg on May 19, 2006
1. On May 18-19
Strasbourg will host the 116th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe (CMCE), the supreme body of this Organisation, at which the
Chairmanship of CMCE will pass from Romania to the Russian Federation, and the
duty of the Chairman of CMCE during the period of 19 May - 15 November 2006
will be conferred on the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
S.V. Lavrov.
The Session
is expected to be attended by a considerable number of heads of foreign policy
agencies of Council of Europe Member States, who will discuss the topical
issues of the Organisation’s activities. S.V. Lavrov has scheduled several
discussions with the Heads of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meetings with some foreign ministers
of Member States of the Council of Europe and an address to the Committee for
Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament.
The speech by
the Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia putting forward the
priorities of the Russian Chairmanship of CMCE will make a focal point of the
Session. We could acknowledge a keen interest on the part of our European
partners to Russia’s new role in the Council of Europe, Russian approaches to
the objectives of Chairmanship and our vision of the future of the Council of
Europe in general.
2. The
forthcoming Chairmanship of Russia on CMCE is an exceptional event having a
substantial significance in terms of foreign and domestic policies. This is
essentially the first time that this country will lead a major and most
influential international organization uniting 46 European states. That is sure
to strengthen confidence in Russia not just in the Council of Europe but in the
whole world.
3.
Chairmanship is an honorary, still responsible and strenuous task. A big work
scope has been put in to ensure its successful implementation. Since January
2006 the Organizational Committee has been operating to prepare for and ensure
Russian Chairmanship, led by the Deputy Head of the Administration of the
President of the Russian Federation V.Yu. Surkov. A substantial program of
Russia’s Chairmanship has been elaborated involving the Federal Assembly,
numerous federal agencies and organizations. The leading role belongs to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia charged with coordination functions, in
particular, within the framework of the Interagency Commission of the Russian
Federation for the Affairs of the Council of Europe headed by S.V. Lavrov.
4. The key
objective of our Chairmanship is to prove in deed that Russia has by right
taken the helm of the Council of Europe. During the ten years that have passed
since Russian Federation adherence to the Council of Europe in 1996, largely
drawing on the experience and assistance of that Organization, this country has
been able to improve its legislation, modernise its judicial system and law
enforcement practices. All that is done for the people of Russia: ensuring
their rights, strengthening the rule of law and promoting efficient forms of
democracy.
5. The
Russian leadership is committed to further integration of this country into the
common European legal space, in particular, by adherence to the most relevant
Conventions of the Council of Europe. Russia has recently ratified the
Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, is in the process of preparing for
ratification of the Convention on Criminal Liability for Corruption. On May 4,
2006 Russia signed Protocol No. 14 on the Reformation of the European Court of
Human Rights to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
6. The
dramatic changes which have taken place in Russia over the recent years along
the lines of constructing democratic society and state render pointless further
monitoring by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of the
commitments adopted by the Russian Federation at adherence to the Council of
Europe. The Russian standpoint on this matter remains invariable: we have
complied with our key obligations and are prepared to address the remaining
current problems in the post-monitoring dialogue mode. Therefore, we are
resolutely opposed to being addressed new claims generally underpinned by
subjective political considerations.
7. Taking the
helm of CMCE Russia does not intend to revolutionise bur rather to provide the
required continuity and normal functioning of the Organisation by focusing
primarily on the implementation of the Action Plan adopted by the 3rd Summit of
the Council of Europe in Warsaw (May 16-17, 2005). We proceed from the
importance of taking into account the opinions and interests of all Member States
of the Organization and its Parliamentary Assembly.
8. We see the
key purpose of the Council of Europe in implementing the idea of building
Europe without dividing lines and forming a single European legal and
humanitarian space. Exactly such approach has suggested the motto of our
Chairmanship: «Towards single Europe without dividing lines».
However, we
intend to further actively draw the attention of our European partners to the
need to eliminate from the activities of the Council of Europe and its bodies
the manifestations of double standards, distortions and unfounded acts in
respect of Russia and some other European states, including Byelorussia.
9. We
advocate the preservation of the unique role of the Council of Europe as the
sole common European structure consolidating in its ranks countries belonging
to various organisations. We believe that the Council of Europe should continue
to play albeit not the leading then at least quite independent role in creating
the legal standards in various aspects of European life - from protection of
human rights to the conditions of IT socialisation. We are convinced that it is
such understanding that should underpin the cooperation of the Council of
Europe with other European organizations, including the EU and the OSCE.
10. Russia is
interested in raising the efficiency of the Council of Europe activities and
developing international cooperation within its framework through expanding the
Organization’s scope of interests not only in the legal and humanitarian spheres
but also in new areas requiring pooling the European effort. This includes,
primarily, combating terrorism, including cybercrime, and no less important
problems of relationships among civilisations, elaboration of uniform standards
in the sphere of genetic engineering, effective protection of human rights in
the conditions of ever expanding use of biometric data, etc.
11. During
the period of our Chairmanship we intend to concentrate on the issue of
improving national forms of democracy and expanding the involvement of civil
society in public life. This is the aim of the Forum of the Council of Europe
for the Future of Democracy on the topic «The Role of Political Parties in
Democratic Society» in the autumn of 2006 in Moscow.
12. With
account for a growing role of non-government organizations in the life of
contemporary Europe and Russia we are determined to make a contribution to this
process by planning within the framework of the Russian Chairmanship a European
NGO Conference (September 2006, Kemerovo).
13.
Relationships among different nationalities and confessions are a challenge to
the Council of Europe. Russia having a rich experience of furthering a
multi-national and multi-confessional society is prepared to contribute to
sustained inter-civilisation concord. The ways of attaining that goal are
proposed for discussion at the forum “Dialogue of cultures and
interconfessional cooperation” to take place in Nizhni Novgorod in September
2006.
14. The
Chairmanship will focus on developing the cooperation of the Russian Federation
with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Congress of
Local and Regional Authorities. Russia is planning for some events along the
lines of PACE and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, presently in
the stage of active work-out by the State Duma and the Council of Federation.
Those particularly include a PACE mini-session in Moscow in May 29 and the fall
session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on 13-15 November
2006.
15. It will
be an important constituent of the Russian Chairmanship to implement a
comprehensive cultural plan to once more demonstrate to the Europeans our
achievements in this field and Russia’s inseparable cultural ties with other
European countries
17 de mayo de 2006
Representaciones de la Federación de Rusia en la
República del Perú:
|
Centro ruso de ciencia y
cultura Tel.431-56-65 E-mail:rus_cult_peru@aport.ru |
“Aeroflot” Tel.444-87-17 E-mail:aeroflo@terra.com.pe |
|
Sección Consular de la
Embajada Tel. 264-04-04 Fax:264-01-30 e-mail: consul@infonegocio.net.pe |
|
El boletín informativo se edita por
la Sección de prensa de la Embajada, el agregado de prensa K.Ignatov, tel. 2640038