The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Igor Crnadak spoke yesterday in Strasbourg, at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), as the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) on the priorities of BH presidency.
The speech was held within the framework of the Third part of the regular annual session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Summer session), which is held in Strasbourg from 22nd to 26th of June.
Minister Crnadak expressed his satisfaction with addressing the PACE on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the new Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE, and noted that the chairmanship of the Council of Europe, next to the two-year term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations, presents one of the biggest foreign policy challenges for B&H.
Crnadak told to the members of the PACE that the main priorities of the BH presidency is the implementation of the Convention on preventing and fighting against violence over women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).
He also pointed out other priorities such as the policy of the CoE towards the neighboring regions, the activities of the CoE in the field of culture, with special emphasis on European Cultural Convention and the activities of the CoE through the European Film Fund, and improving the work of the CoE in terms of the religious dimension of the intercultural dialogue.
He also gave the members of the PACE the results of the annual session of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE, which was held last month in Brussels and at which B&H took over the presidency over the Council of Europe from the Kingdom of Belgium, as well as with other activities of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE.
The minister stressed the need for the soonest possible entry into force of the Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, which was adopted at this ministerial meeting.
He highlighted that B&H and the Republic of Serbia will use the simultaneous presidency of the Council of Europe and the OSCE to further strengthen the cooperation through various joint initiatives.
Last night, Crnadak was a guest at a dinner prepared by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland in honor of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the dinner was also to be attended by the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanić.
(Source: radiosarajevo.ba)
