OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Steinmeier stresses role of human rights and rule of law during visit to Council of Europe

STRASBOURG, France, 14 October 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in an address on Thursday to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council in Europe in Strasbourg, underlined the important role that the Council of Europe plays in addressing many of the serious security challenges in Europe, thus highlighting the strong potential for dialogue and co-operation between the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

Before speaking to the Parliamentary Assembly Steinmeier had meetings with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland and the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Pedro Agramunt.

“We see that human rights and the rule of law are under threat in many places. But when there is a need for someone to stand up for these European values, we can count on the Council of Europe. In this regard, the OSCE and the Council of Europe, sharing many values and aims, have established a close co-operation on many issues that we wish to strengthen for the future,” Steinmeier said.

Relating to the crisis in and around Ukraine and the manifold activities of Germany, also in the framework of the 2016 OSCE Chairmanship, Steinmeier lauded the “effective instruments” that allowed the Council of Europe to contribute actively to solutions in the face of such crises. “I very much welcome the fact that the Council of Europe is continuing to play an important role in Ukraine,” Steinmeier said, citing amongst other activities the advisory work of the Venice Commission and the steady efforts to ensure access for the Council of Europe’s human rights monitors: “When it comes to observing the human rights situation, we must not tolerate any blank spots on the map of our continent.”

Previously, on 9 June 2016, Jagland addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna as guest speaker, at the invitation of Germany’s 2016 OSCE Chairmanship.

Find the full text of the speech here: www.osce.org/cio/274826