Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu participated in the 124th meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, hosted by the Austrian Chairmanship on 5-6 May 2014

The main theme of the meeting of the Committee of Ministers was “Council of Europe values and stability in Europe: current challenges”. The meeting assessed the report prepared by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, entitled “State of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe”. Moreover, developments in Ukraine were addressed.

Speaking to the press following the meeting, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said “In the meeting, I stated that no matter what our national positions on Ukraine are, we should unite on the basis of the Ukraine’s unity and the Council of Europe’s values and in a sense we should settle this familial dispute. I made a call within this context. I said that all countries should give precedence to the unity around the democratic principles that has arisen in the Post-Cold War era instead of Cold-War like polarization that emerged after the Second World War and that we approach Ukraine in this respect.”

Emphasizing that Ukraine’s unity and territorial integrity must be protected at all cost, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said "While protecting its unity, the Ukrainian government should also take steps to make reforms with a view to recognizing the rights of all different ethnic and linguistic groups."

Referring to the situation of Crimean Tatars, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu stressed that the conflict in Ukraine should not turn into a negative attitude against Crimean Tatars.

Expressing that Turkey gave a great support to the work of the Council of Europe on the basis of democratic values, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said “Turkey, also during our chairmanship 3 years ago, has launched initiatives on numerous issues including violence against women and impact of the values of the Council of Europe on the neighboring regions.

Within the scope of the meeting Foreign Minister Davutoğlu also held bilateral meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, Austria, the UK, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Malta and Romania.