Council of Europe secretary-general says Turkey is a global player

In an exclusive interview with Sunday’s Zaman, Jagland said the interests of the council are perfectly aligned with the interests of Turkey on a number of issues and expressed his hope that Turkey would be of great help in reforming the organization.

“It was certainly a historic moment when the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] elected its first Muslim president,” he said, referring to the election of Turkish deputy Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu last week in Strasbourg. “This has happened for the first time, the first in any European institution,” he added. Jagland sees the election of Çavuşoğlu as a clear signal that Europe has become a multicultural and multi-religious continent. “It certainly gives us an opportunity to overcome new and old dividing lines in Europe, be it culturally or in terms of religion,” he underlined.

The head of the human rights watchdog strongly believes that issues emanating from multiculturalism and multi-religiosity are high on the agenda in Europe. “The Council of Europe is an excellent forum for trying to bring people together and meeting this challenge,” he said, adding that the timing was just right for a Turk to be elected as the head of the assembly. “He can bring new ideas to the table. It is a great opportunity to work together with him,” Jagland said.

With his high expectations for reforming the institution, Secretary-General Jagland has fresh ideas in mind and believes he has found receptive ears in many capitals of Europe including Ankara. “I am quite optimistic as the mood is very good now. Everybody realizes now that we have to adapt to new realities. Europe has changed. The Lisbon Treaty has come into force. Turkey is becoming more and more important. So is Russia. We need to modernize ourselves,” he said.

Jagland has recently unveiled his plan to revitalize the Council of Europe as a political body and an innovative, flexible organization, in close cooperation with its staff and stakeholders, making it more visible and relevant for the citizens of Europe. He said the organization should concentrate on fewer projects, selected for the added value and comparative advantages they offer. His proposals were unanimously endorsed by the Committee of Ministers.

He concedes that the overhaul will be a long process. “I know it is not going to be easy. We have a history of 60 years, and it is not easy to reform an old institution. But the base support is very strong. I have been to many governments to talk about this. They have given clear signals in that regard,” he underlined.

Asked what tops the list of reforms, the secretary-general said, “The first priority is to make the organization more focused on the issues where we have a comparative advantage and where we can have added value.” Jagland is like an entrepreneur looking for a niche market to amplify the return on his investment. He disagrees with this analogy, however, and stresses: “We are not looking for a small niche here. Our aim is way higher. It is not a small niche market we are looking for.”

In fact, he has taken on a very challenging task. Against the backdrop of its powers being encroached upon by other organizations, Jagland has to make the organization stand out from other European institutions such as the EU and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). One of the challenges he is facing is coordinating the Council of Europe’s role with the EU and OSCE. “We need to look for an overall role vis-à-vis other European institutions,” he underlined.

It looks like Jagland has found the perfect platform for his campaign to achieve this: creating a single platform for law for all organizations in Europe under the stewardship of the Council of Europe’s legal arm, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). “The first aim is to get the EU to accede to the ECtHR and the European Convention on Human Rights now that the Lisbon Treaty has come into force,” he noted, stressing that it would be the basis for the mandate to create a culture of Europe. According to him, that would be achieved with the creation of one legal platform across the continent based on common standards, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

It certainly sounds ambitious but Jagland believes the Council of Europe is the only institution that is perfectly placed to embark on that journey. “We can reach out to all European countries and Turkey and Russia, which are not members of the EU. This is the priority for us,” he noted. The Council of Europe’s status was boosted two weeks ago when the Russian Parliament finally ratified the long-delayed Protocol 14 of the convention. “This would help reform the court in becoming an effective instrument across the entire continent,” Jagland said. He is happy to see that the Russians are completely on board. “They have given a clear signal that they want to access to the court. The EU can do the same. Then we would have achieved a great deal. We in fact created this legal space for everybody. This is an unprecedented development, not only for Europe but also for the whole world,” he remarked.

The secretary-general agrees with newly elected head of PACE, Çavuşoğlu, who called on Turkey to draft a new civil constitution. Though he cautions that his job does not allow him to interfere in domestic politics, he nevertheless thinks it would be a great help if the country adopts a new constitution in line with European norms. “As I understand it, many Turks are asking for this. It is the right time to draft a new one,” he said.

He also said that he is concerned with human rights violations in Turkey. The ECtHR found last week in its report that Turkey is by far the worst violator of human rights. Jagland acknowledges that there have been positive developments in Turkey with respect to protecting human rights. “The number of cases is still high, however,” he said. “It could be the case that the court is more widely known and is very popular in Turkey and I welcome that,” he added.

Nonetheless Jagland believes Turkey is a very important country in Europe and is on the way to becoming a global player. “I have always attached great importance to the role Turkey plays in Europe, the Middle East and the Caucasus. It is very much needed,” he emphasized. The secretary-general will be paying a three-day visit to Turkey next week starting on Sunday. He recalled that US President Barack Obama paid his first official visit to Turkey and argues that that by itself is a testament to the fact that the country is becoming a global player. “We should make a note of that in Europe,” he said.

ABDULLAH BOZKURT  STRASBOURG

Source: www.todayszaman.com, 31 January 2010