PACE President: “stand up and show support for refugees”
Ahead of World Refugee Day, PACE President Pedro Agramunt calls on all Europeans to stand up and show their solidarity and support for the more than 50 million refugees worldwide.
“These 50 million refugees are not just numbers on a piece of paper, they are real people. Like me, like you, they have faces, names, and they have rights”.
“Violence, wars and political repression left them with no option but to leave their homes and countries. They have escaped from conflicts and often survived long and incredibly dangerous journeys. We have the legal and human obligation to do everything in our power to help them”.
On this World Refugee Day, PACE President invites all Europeans not to fall into the trap set by populist and xenophobic rhetoric, “open your hearts, speak to refugees, listen to their stories and their struggle. What refugees need is empathy, support and understanding for their suffering, not indifference or hatred”, he concluded.
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Prime Minister of Georgia meets Co-Rapporteurs for the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The key directions of cooperation between Georgia and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the agenda of Georgia’s ongoing and implemented democratic reforms were the main topics discussed at today’s meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Co-Rapporteurs for the Monitoring Committee of PACE.
In the meeting held at the Government Administration, special emphasis was placed on the constructive work of the PACE Monitoring Committee’s Co-Rapporteurs for the monitoring of Georgia. The Head of Government thanked the Parliamentary Assembly’s delegation for productive cooperation.The conversation also touched on the security environment and challenges in the region and worldwide.The topics discussed included the situation in Georgia’s occupied territories. The role of support from the Council of Europe for peaceful conflict resolution was underlined. Irakli Garibashvili thanked PACE for firmly supporting Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.The meeting was attended by Co-Rapporteurs for the PACE Monitoring Committee Claude Kern and Edite Estrela, also by Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia Natalia Voutova, Georgia’s Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili, and Head of the Government Administration Revaz Javelidze. -
THE PARLIAMENT HEARD THE ACTIVITY REPORT FOR 2022 OF THE PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION TO PACE
At the plenary session, MPs heard the Activity Report for 2022 of the Parliamentary Delegation to PACE, introduced by the Head of the Delegation, Irakli Chikovani.
“One of the acute issues for the PACE and for us was the devastation in Ukraine entailed by the Russian aggression and the decision made on the exclusion of Russia from the Coe and the preparation for a new Summit that is scheduled in May 2023 and that shall be dedicated to the planning of the further steps of the organization”, - he stated.
According to him, the Georgian Delegation was one of the main Delegations that approved the exclusion of Russia at the emergency session convened by the CoE. As noted, sundry resolutions have been adopted in 2022 related to the situation in Ukraine, where the Georgian Delegation in full composition, including the Majority and the Opposition MPs, unanimously approved the documents except one resolution providing the record about the third President of Georgia.
“This Resolution was connected neither to Georgia nor the situation in Georgia or the democratic reforms; it was an attempt, which by the way was quite successfully conducted by the EPP members and the rapporteur of the Resolution”, - he noted and added that the Resolution on Georgia initiated by the Monitoring Committee and adopted by the PACE reflects the immense progress achieved by Georgia in the democracy, rule of law and human rights protection directions.
“This progress is clearly underlined and which is unambiguously confirmed by the CoE as a whole, though it also provides the challenges in Georgia being addressed by the Government”, - the reporter ended his speech.
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Georgian President visits U.S.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has left for the U.S. to address the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), slated for 6-17 March 2023.
The President will also meet with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, and UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
Zourabichvili will hold bilateral meetings with New York Mayor, Eric Adams, and the Presidents of the countries participating in the forum.
She will also visit Yale and Harvard Universities to deliver a public lecture at the Harvard Kennedy School.
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THE PRESIDENT OF THE TURKEY EXPRESSED GRATITUDE TOWARDS RESCUERS WORKING IN TURKEY FOR THEIR SERVICE
President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, arrived in Antakya, Hatay province, where the members of the Georgian rescue team, together with the rescue services of different countries are carrying out liquidation and rescue measures for the consequences of the earthquake.
The President of the Republic of Turkey personally met with the representatives of different countries and got familiarized with the progress of the rescue operation on the spot.Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally thanked the rescue teams involved in the liquidation and rescue measures of the earthquake aftermath.Firefighters and rescuers of the Emergency Situations Management Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia are carrying out liquidation and rescue measures for the consequences of the earthquake until now in Hatay Province, in the city of Antakya, in coordination with the Turkish side.The Georgian rescue team was deployed in the Republic of Turkey by the decision of the Prime Minister of Georgia. -
President Ilham Aliyev shares twitter post over attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has shared a twitter post over the treacherous attack on the embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran.
“I strongly condemn a terrorist act committed today against our embassy in Tehran. I express deep condolence to the family and relatives of senior lieutenant Askarov Orkhan Rizvan oğlu killed while ensuring the security of the embassy and its employees. We demand the soonest investigation into the terrorist act and punishment of the terrorists. The terrorist attack on the diplomatic mission is unacceptable!” the post reads.
