President Pirc Musar starts her participation in the Fourth Council of Europe with bilateral meetings
The President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar will attend the opening session of the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in the late afternoon.
Rejkjavik, Iceland, 16 May 2023
News
Heads of State and Government from the 46 member countries of the Council of Europe will meet today and tomorrow in Reykjavik, Iceland, to reaffirm their common commitment to the Council of Europe’s core values and to refocus its mission in the light of the increasing threats to democracy. This is only the fourth summit of the Council of Europe to be convened since its inception almost 75 years ago. The last Summit of the Council of Europe was held in Warsaw in 2005.
The main political message of the Summit is to reaffirm the Council of Europe’s leading role as the guardian of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe at a time of serious threats to democracy, the rule of law, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. At the Summit, the Heads of State and Government will express their full solidarity and support to Ukraine, including in holding the Russian Federation accountable, and support the establishment of a Register of Damage in Ukraine. After the opening of the Summit, President Pirc Musar will chair one of the thematic round tables with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, which will be devoted to discussing the need to be held accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine. In her opening address, the President will support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and express her solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
Prior to the start of the Summit, President Pirc Musar has already held a bilateral meeting with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Dunja Mijatović. During the meeting, President Pirc Musar emphasised that human rights are one of the cornerstones of her work and also one of the most important priorities of Slovenian foreign policy. The President underlined the importance Slovenia attaches to its close and very extensive cooperation with the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights. She commended the Commissioner’s personal commitment to promoting respect for human rights in the Council of Europe and its member states, and to fostering partnerships with other key actors at regional and global level.
One of the main topics of the discussion was gender equality, which both consider to be a key human rights issue, as well as a development and security imperative. Gender equality is about ensuring access to equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, said President Pirc Musar, emphasising that women’s meaningful participation is and must be at the heart of all peace activities if sustainable peace and security are to be achieved. “This will be an important principle of our work if we are elected as a member of the UN Security Council for the 2024–2025 period in the elections on 6 June, 2023,” she added.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, both agreed that it was important to ensure that the serious human rights violations in Ukraine were well documented in order to allow accountability for these crimes to be determined. President Pirc Musar emphasised that Slovenia was firmly committed to promoting the rights and well-being of children affected by armed conflict. “The fundamental principles and rules of international humanitarian law and international human rights law must be respected in order to protect children from the devastating consequences they face during armed conflict. I strongly condemn the abduction, forcible transfer and deportation of children during armed conflict in all regions of the world. Accountability for these crimes against children must be ensured,” President Pirc Musar was clear.
President Pirc Musar also met with her Icelandic counterpart Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson. In their talks, the two Presidents confirmed the friendly relations between Slovenia and Iceland and expressed their conviction that the two countries will continue to develop cooperation in various areas of common interest. They agreed that it was very important for geographically small countries like Slovenia and Iceland to find like-minded partners. They reaffirmed that whatever their size, the two countries were making an important contribution to the international community. They also share similar views and common interests in multilateral frameworks, and President Pirc Musar expressed her satisfaction that Iceland was Slovenia’s ally in a number of projects of common interest within the Council of Europe, the United Nations, NATO, and other international organisations. During their talks, the two Presidents also focused on climate change, as the two countries share a long-standing commitment to environmental protection and climate action.
On their joint flight to Reykjavik, President Pirc Musar held bilateral meetings with Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová and Czech President Petr Pavel. In separate talks, the Presidents reaffirmed the good relations between the countries and agreed on the need for dialogue. They emphasised the importance of unity among European countries in upholding fundamental values such as human rights and the rule of law. President Pirc Musar invited the Slovak President and the Czech President to the Bled Strategic Forum, which will this year be held under the title ‘Solidarity for global security’.
The first day of the Summit of the Council of Europe will conclude with a working dinner, where the Heads of State and Government of the participating countries will discuss solidarity and support for Ukraine in the face of the aggression, the geopolitical shifts resulting from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the important role of the Council of Europe in the endeavours for the protection of democracy.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, 17 May 2023, President Pirc Musar will participate in the General Debate of the Summit, where she will deliver a speech, and in the closing debate, where the Heads of State and Government will adopt a political declaration. During the Summit, President Pirc Musar will also hold a number of bilateral meetings.
