CoE chair Turkish FM Davutoglu skips EU Critics on Cyprus, Press Freedom, Torture: Multi-Culti aims

An original, spontaneous Dialogue held in front of "EuroFora" at the initiative of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, incoming CoE's rotating Chairman in office for the November 2010-May 2011 semester, before Ukraine takes over CoE's chairmanship for the 1st time, highlighted even better Turkey's wish to downplay growing EU Criticism and controversy, on the occasion of the publication, yesterday, of EU Commission's 2010 Annual Report on Ankara's efforts to comply with EU standards, which focused mainly on the "Urgent" need for Turkey to respect now its Commitments on Cyprus, on Freedom of Journalists and Religion, stop Impunity of Torturers/Killers, etc., highlighting serious Democratic and Political Problems, including Kurdish issue, etc., but also the necessity to prevent "Risks of a Boom-Bust Scenario" in an overheated Economy, as it said, while Ankara clearly appeared to prefer, on the contrary, divert attention elsewhere by focusing towards controversial "Multi-Culturalism", and "Preventive" actions mainly "against Terrorism", (but even on "Violence inside Families"), as well as "Prisons", etc., pursuing a traditional Agenda of the Turkish State, (in addition to CoE's own General Agenda which continues to unfold on the PanEuropean Organizations' and ECHR's institutional Reforms, already started earlier).   

In fact, the Turkish Minister skiped EU+ critics on Cyprus, Press Freedom, Torturers/Murderers' Impunity and ECHR judgements implementation in general, preferring rather to focus more on "Multi-Cultural" Societies where "Dialogue" and "Peace" is ensured by a "Strong" order, repeatedly citing "Rule of Law" 1st, and Human Rights 3rd.    

Davutoglu's first reactions to EU critics were so more interesting to observe at this moment, that several Warnings were launched, by various but converging sources, that Turkey needs to change "urgently" its stance and start really dealing with issues such as Cyprus and/or Human Rights, "Boom and Bust" Economic risk, etc., before reported "Dangers" might materialize, f.ex. to soon exhaust the still available EU - Turkey Negotiation Chapters, since only 3 could be still opened now, while many others remain blocked because of Ankara's failure to respond to conditions put by the EU, France and Cyprus, etc., and growing popular opposition to its controversial EU bid currently spreading wider on 2009-2010 accross Germany, France, Austria, and Holland as well as Belgium  (present EU chair) probably Hungary, Slovakia, etc., after similar moves in Bulgaria, Latvia, Sweden, even among ...UK's voters (as 2009 EU Elections proved, when a marginal small party, UKIP, was suddenly propulsed at the 2nd rang nation-wide, just when it exceptionaly campaigned with the Banner : - "No to the accession of Turkey into the EU !", which already Costs to EU Taxpayers (including Poor People obliged to pay VAT for a piece of Bread or a Shirt) more than 800 Millions € each Year, (even during the present Global Financial Crisis which obliges EU Countries to make Hard Budget Cuts), despite some irregularities or inconsistencies in spending pinpointed by EU's Court of Auditors, so that mainstream Media commentators started to warn this week that Turkey "needs a Miracle in order to prevent a firm Blockade on 2011 or 2012", and others cite several Top MEPs (f.ex. inside the governing German ChristianDemocrat Parties) reportedly asking to clearly "Stop" the controversial EU - Turkey negotiations, after also the recent opportunistic manoevers by Ankara on Iran's controversial Nuclear controversy.    

But the 1st move by Turkey's Foreign Minister was to openly ... refuse even to speak on any such EU - related topical issue during his Press Conference at the CoE, together with the outgoing former CoE Chairman, FYROM's Foreign Minister Miloshoski and CoE's Secretary General Jagland, from Norway :     - Turkey's "EU process goes on its own Dynamics". "I can defend that, as a Turkish Foreign Minister, but in Brussels, not in Strasbourg", because "here I'am speaking as CoE's Chairman", "I'm representing the whole European Continent", (in fact : even far beyond...), Davutoglu sharply distinguished without modesty, as if he considered that CoE's Human Rights issues might be irrelevant to EU's Copenhagen criteria...  --------------------------
    - "This is Not New" : "EU Commission has been issuing Reports on Turkey since 1998", Davutoglu replied in a Collegue's Question about EU Commission's 2010 Report's "Criticism on Press and Religion Freedoms" (See infra)...

    But, by doing so, the Turkish Minister astonishingly pushed away any distinction between the pro-December 1999 "3rd Country" EU approach, and the Post- December 1999 "Candidate Country" EU approach vis a vis Turkey. (Something which, curiously, fits well with the recent 2007-2010 approach of all those who prefer a kind of "Privileged Partnership" or other "Close Relation" with Turkey, but not a Full Accession into the EU)..

    - "This is a Process, and we shall contine our process of ..enlarging Freedoms", including "Freedom of Press and Thought", went on to vaguely add Davutoglu, promissing, however to "Take Note" of EU's findings, and to simply "remain committed to EU and CoE Values on Human Rights", as he said, (instead of promissing a Change in Turkey's traditionaly Oppressive attitude vis a vis Journalists' Freedom). This sounded, inevitably, all more strange, as he said that in Strasbourg only a few weeks after ECHR strongly condemned here the Turkish State for the way it treats, f.ex. the cold-blood Murder of Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink, denouncing f.ex. that Ankara knew before the Murder that it was Planned, but did nothing to protect the victim, and, on the contrary, .. persecuted him into Courts, together with some istingators of the Murder, while, even after the killing, Turkish Authorities didn't yet find and punished anyone among their several Agents who had committed various Misbehaviors in relation to the Murder, (See "EuroFora"'s relevant NewsReport, dated September 14, 2010), and just a few Days after the Turkish Courts reportedly took the scandalous decision to treat the only Suspect arrested for Hrant Dink's killing as a ... "Child", so that he can easily escape soon from Prison, (exactly as they had done also for the person they chose to condemn alone as the cold-blood Murderer of Christian-Catholic Priest Santoro, back in 2006)...

    - All "this doesn't mean that Turkey doesn't fulfill today these basic EU and CoE Criteria" on respect of Press and Religious Freedoms, the Turkish Minister nevertheless claimed, but without bringing any concerete logic argument or fact to prove it.

    In fact, the way Turkey's rotating Chair of CoE's Ministerial Committee wil be handled in Strasbourg, (including, naturally, on Journalists' Freedom) is obviously Crucial for CoE's own credibility, because it's the 1st Time since the landmark PanEuropean Heads of State and Government Summit of 2005 in Warsaw (Poland) which clearly defined CoE's role as being to work on "Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law", (while in the Past it was dealing also with pure Politics and various other issues), that its rotating Chair passes at a State as Turkey, which holds an unquestionable Record of the greatest Number of Condemnations by ECHR for exceptionally Serious Violations of Human Rights, such as Torture/Inhuman-Degrading Treatments, Murders, Enforced "Disappearances", Arbitrary Deprivations of Liberty, Oppression of Press and Religious Freedoms, Outlawing of Political Parties, Forced Expulsions and Usurpation of Refugees/Displaced Persons' Family Homes and Private Properties, Unfair Trials, etc, considering also the notorious fact that most of such ECHR's Judgements have not yet been implemented..

     - "CoE is the oldest" paneuropean organisation "based on Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights", admitted from the outset the Turkish Minister, paradoxically ...Reversing the order in the official CoE role's definition, which, on the contrary, clearly puts "Human Rights" at the 1st place, and not at the Last !... (Later he repeated this same change of order, proving that it was really intentional).
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    A Good part of the Story,  is, however, that Davutoglu, who is sometimes considered by some circles to be more "Open" to Democracy than other Turkish Officials, might have an Ambition to prove, "at the End of" his 6 Months "Test" at CoE's rotating Chair  in Strasbourg, that "we are a European Nation defending all the  Values of the European Culture",  "committed" to Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights, as he claimed, i.e. try to use CoE as a Positive show-case of Turkey towards closer EU links. But, in fact, seeing the apparently nervous or hostile, discriminatory/oppressive attitude of some lower-level Turkish agents, certainly in the Past and apparently also today, it doesn't seem certain at all that Turkey might really pass this Strasbourg "Test"...

    - However, asked by another Collegue if he intended to use Turkey's rotating CoE Chair in order to prove to the EU Ankara's fitness to eventually become in future an EU Member, contrary to the well known Opposal of France, Germany and (a currently growing number of) other EU Countries, as well as to "change", by the way, Turkey's traditionally difficult situation as "the Bad Pupil in the Classroom" by receiving the more Numerous Condemnations by ECHR for serious Human Rights' Violations, Davutoglu, after smiling a bit, brushed all that aside :

    - "CoE and EU are 2 Differend things : We (Turkey) are Not trying to Please any other organization" as the EU. "We are here as CoE Chairman", the Turkish Minister reacted, surprisingly rejecting any EU - CoE link on Human Rights issues, (despite CoE Secretary General, Jagland's traditional stance in favor of closer EU - CoE cooperation in all usefully related issues, and despite the 2007 Report of Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, on the demand of CoE's 2005 Summit, on EU - CoE cooperation precisely on Human Right issues).  - "CoE itself is the Oldest and most Comprehensive (?) PanEuropean Organisation" and "we (Turkey) shall defend its (CoE's) Culture REGARDLESS of ... the EU", Davutoglu stressed.

    Given that Turkish Government's position on CoE's role, during earlier Political Debates in Strasbourg before the 2005 CoE Summit in Warsaw, was that CoE should focus more on facilitating "Cooperation" between Governments, than Human Rights, legitimate questions are raised...      

         
    Curiously, (or, maybe, ... significantly !), the Turkish Minister .. forgot, in his answer above, to reply anything to our Collegue's double Question bearing also on the European Court of Human Rights' record-high Condemnations of Ankara's regime, so that the Journalist was obliged to remind him anew this Key point...

    - "Of course, we shall fulfill all our responsibilities vis a vis ECHR", was obliged to reply to this Repeated Question Davutoglu, but, Surprisingly, he immediately .. "forgot" again (See supra) everything about Turkey's record-high condemnations for serious violations, (on which naturally beared the question from the start : See supra), and started to speak, on the contrary, about "Reforming"... "the European Court of Human Rights" itself, and not the repeatedly condemned Turkish State !  

    - ".. A Reform is needed" for the ... ECHR itself, "and we (Turkey) shall accelerate this Reform" of the European Court of Human Rights, "at the Izmir Conference", (the April 2011 controversially-located Ministerial meeting on CEDH, at a city infamous for the 1922 Mass Massacre and "Ethnic Cleansing" described even by the then American Ambassador's testimonies  : See infra). - "We (Turkey) shall be active partner, and, in this case, active OWNER (sic !) of the (European) Court" of Human Rights, astonishingly went on to add the Turkish Minister, "and we (Turkey) shall do Everything possible in order to make Necessary Reforms into the Court", he anounced, (inevitably provoking a ...Cold Shiver to all those who knew that Turkey had recently launched a very "Hot" Attack against the ECHR, accusing it to defend too much the Human Rights and asking to .. limit, in fact, its action : See relevant "EuroFora"'s NewsReport)...

    Apparently remembering, at the last second, that the Journalist's Question was, on the contrary, about the need for Real (and not only on Paper) Reforms inside Turkey itself, in order to abide with ECHR's Judgements, Davutoglu went on to add only a short word also "on Reforms needed both in the ECHR,  as well as inb our National (Turkey's) implementations regarding to the ECHR issues",  as he called the due Respect of ECHR's Judgements :  - "There, (on ECHR's Judgements' implementation) we (Turkey) have a very ..REFORMIST approach IN BOTH senses" (i.e. not only for the Country condemned for serious violations, but also for the PanEuropean Court which dared condemn it)...

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"MULTI - CULTI"  Focus  :    

- "We shall focus on Living Together, in ...Multi-Cultural Societies, during our Chairmanship" at the CoE, underlined the Turkish Minister, echoing and amplifying  considerably the "Inter-Cultural and Multi-Cultural Dialogue" thema highlighted by outgoing CoE chair, FYROM's Minister Miloshoski. Advancing much further, Davutoglu anounced Turkish Government's intention to raise that at the level of a "New Approach" for CoE's entire activities, and even to establish a "New Framework" for CoE's role, in the next PanEuropean Ministerial session prepared on May 2011 in Istanbul, as he said, that CoE's S.G. Jagland linked also with "Roma and other Minorities", revealing that he expects from CoE's Ministers to go to Turkey on May 2011 and take "Important Decisions" on that. 

    - Davutoglu even raised the "Multi-Culturalism living-together" issue to the level of a "New Challenge" in CoE's History, "after the end of the Cold War and its ", equal to the need to "establish regional and global Peace (sic !) on a Strong basis", as he curiously added later, (apparently evoking Conflictual relations where someone should impose a "Strong" Order), but without explaining details... He only hinted that the issue may be linked with "Changes" in the "Polticial Landscape" related with "Global affairs", (i.e. not specific to Europe).

    The Turkish Minister also revealed that it was him who had proposed to CoE's Secretary General Jagland, during a "visit in Istanbul", Turkey, to create a "Group of Eminent Persons" headed by Joshka Fischer, former "Green" German Foreign Minister in a Coalition with the "Socialist" Party in the Past, recently employed by a controversial old project for a Turkish NABUCCO Gas Pipeline.

    Apparently that might  go  ..Contrary to the recent Statements by German ChristianDemocrat Chancelor Angie Merkel, and other German politicians, (as f.ex. Bavarian CSU's Head Seehofer, etc), who strongly denounced the fact that "Multi-Culti utterly Failed",  threatening to Weaken European Societies by Dividing them in various socio-cultural "Ghettos", where some Groups of Immigrants are obliged to stay separate, (notoriously monitored from networks located Out of the host country) often are even hindered to learn and use the Language of their host Country, while Children are condemned to largely fail in School, etc., risking to provoke serious Problems in the foreseeable Future.. Instead of a socio-cultural "Integration" of all People permanently living in a European Country, so that its Cohesion and Identity could be respected, safeguarded and developed. An idea also strongly promoted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has even proposed the idea to adopt it for all the EU, developing Europeans' consciousness and policies based on a common EU Identity                                            

 
    Unless, by a kind of inter-institutional Division of Labor, EU (and its own Member Nations) focuses on "Integration" and on how to create and safeguard Socio-Economic and Cultural "Cohesion" and to help forge EU Citizens' "Feeling of Belonging" to "a Common Identity", shared among Europeans, while, on the contrary, PanEuropean CoE prefers to go towards a much Wider GeoPolitical "Great Area", including both the EU and many Non-EU, 3rd Countries, such as Russia, Azerbaidjan and Turkey, but also Norway, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, etc, soon perhaps also Morocco and Kazahkstan, etc, in addition to USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico a.o. "Special Status"-holding, Non European Friendly Countries, (eventually, in Future, also China, etc), so that it might, indeed, become Logical and Natural for the CoE to focus rather on .. "Multi-Cultural" Groups, simply "living together", side by side, (as it was said supra). But, obviously, only if this might concern mainly the relations with - and inside - Non-EU Countries, and not at all EU Citizens a.o. living inside EU Countries...               

                                                                                                                                            
    Such a move might, eventually, instead of opposing, on the contrary, fit quite well the well-known Idea proposed by French Presidenemet Sarkozy, together with German Chancellor Merkel, in agreement  with Russian President Medvedev, to create a kind of "Great Space" including  EU and Russia, Turkey, etc., together with the EEA Countries, (Norway, Switzerland, etc.), regardless of eventual EU Accession bids and of their sort.  Precisely as "EuroFora" had asked CoE's new Secretary Generaly, Thornbjorn Jagland, at his 1st Press Conference at the CoE, as early as since the beginning of October 2009, where he gave us a very Positive Reply, (See relevant "EuroFora"'s NewsReport), recently reiterating the same Idea in his Speech during CLRAE's Session, end of October 2010.

    Meanwhile, Davutoglu's stress on "Multi-Culti" issues, and their rapprochement with "Peace" matters "on a Strong basis" (see Supra), appeared at the same time with his readiness to use CoE's rotating Chair in order to act on "all Frozen Conflicts" :

- "As a CoE Chairman, of course we want to Solve All the Frozen Conflicts", the Turkish Minister replied to a Question of an Azeri Journalist on Nagorno Karabah, but obviously seizing an occasion to spread wider... - "We hope that these Conflicts will be resolved through Peaceful means, Mutual Respect, that's our main (not only ?) philosophy", and "we shall look to all these issues from such a Perspective", he simply said, (apparently frustrating the concerned journalists)...

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Diplomatic overtaking on Cyprus at CoE's corridors ?...
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EU's 2010 Report clearly denounced Turkey's "Lack of progress towards Normalisation" of relations with Cyprus, stressing that "it is Now Urgent that Turkey fulfils its Obligations of Full, Non-Discriminatory implementation" of EU's rules, f.ex. on Customs Union, etc., Warning Ankara that the contrary  "will have a continuous Effect on overall progress in the (EU - Turkey) negotiations",  and threatens to  compromise Air Safety", even "EU- NATO Cooperation", etc. (See Exrepts from EU's 2010 Report infra)

But, on the contrary, Davutoglu (alike Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's statements on Cyprus) appeared rather to Stick to a selective and controversial part of the Past, pointing back to 2004, instead of searching to find efficient Solutions for Cyprus from now on :

A brief (and hardly audible), but interesting Discussion took place between the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, CoE's chair in office for 11/2010-5/2011, and Cyprus' Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the CoE Euripides Evriviades, right in front of "EuroFora", immediately after CoE's Press Conference :

The Turkish Minister apparently wanted to reply to Evryviades'  earlier expressed wish, during a  CoE's Committee of Ministers' debate, to ... "become next year (2011) Ambassador to Ankara", as he reportedly said, provoking Smiles even by Davutoglu himself, (in a reference to EU Heads of State/Governments' repeated calls between 2005-2010 upon Turkey to "normalize" its relations with EU/CoE Member Cyprus, stopping to discriminate against, and obstruct Cyprus' related Ships and Airplanes, etc),  observing also that Turkey was "well placed" in order to "show an Example", during its CoE chairmanship, by implementing ECHR's Judgements against serious Violations of Human Rights, (as f.ex. those which condemned Ankara for "MISSING" Persons and their Families' on-going Drama, and for usurpating Greek Cypriot Refugees' Family Homes and private properties, since the 1974 Turkish Military Invasion/Occupation of the Northern part of Cyprus), as well as to "withdraw Turkish Military Troops from Cyprus", as UNO SC and EU Parliament's Resolutions repeatedly ask Ankara to do, in exchange of Cyprus Government's acceptance of CoE/EU Monitoring mecanisms able to ensure both Turkish and Greek Cypriots that their elementary Human Rights will be respected, while living in Peace and Safety, (as various other CoE's sources and Officials revealed to "EuroFora").                

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Davutoglu, who had left CoE's PressRoom before all others participants, and had been walking slowly but earlier at the corridor, suddenly turned around and saw Cyprus' Ambassador running fast to catch up, (too fast, to the point that "EuroFora" lost breath by trying to reach him !), precisely at the moment that he was overtaking the Turkish Minister, advancing rapidly ahead, towards CoE's centre.Smiling, Davutoglou stopped in front of "EuroFora" and addressed himself with a strong voice  to Cyprus' Ambassador, while he had just overtaken him, running further ahead :

- "It's" before "Cyprus" that we (Turkey) have (already) done (in the Past) "all these Steps ?", Davutoglu boasted aloud, provoking laughs, by apparently referring to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's repetitive claim that Ankara pratically would have "Nothing" to do now for a solution to Cyprus' issue, since it had (according to a well-known Turkish Propaganda) managed, many years back in the Past, to get a Controversial 5th Version of a Draft Plan prepared for Cyprus by a former UN Official, (former British Ambassador to Turkey, of which he notoriously spoke even the language !), which suited Turkey's main interests, but not those of Greek Cypriots, (mainly on Refugees' Human Rights, etc). So that it reportedly obliged them to drop it with a more than 76 % Majority Referendum, for the 1st time in their History, while, on the contrary, Turkey had been routinely refusing several other UNO's Initiatives in the Past, even an official Invitation by former UNO's Secretary General Koffi Annan  to start Talks for Cyprus' ReUnification "on the basis of UN Security Council's Resolutions" on September 12, 2001, that the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash had explicitly refused (contrary to the former Cyprus' President Clerides, who had accepted and immediately flew towards New York), 1 Week before the 9/11 Deadly Terrorist Attack against New York's World Trade Centre, practically covers up the matter by provoking an unprecedented closure of UNO's Headquarters precisely the Date scheduled for the Cyprus' meeting at N.Y. : 12 September 2001 !... (See "EuroFora" co-founder's Questions at UNO's September 12 and 19 Press Conferences during the 2005 Heads of State/Government World Summit and UNO's General Assembly).

That shady affair had notoriously been exploited by a Turkish Lobby  in order to impose Ankara's controversial and impopular demand to enter the E.U., by deciding, on December 2004, to start EU - Turkey so-called "Accession Negotiations", which triggered prolonged, unprecedented Popular "NOs" in a Series of crucial Referenda then, after Cyprus in France, Holland and  Ireland, as the only availabe means for a Majority of EU Citizens to practically say "No" to Turkey's impopular EU bid.

In addition, since 2004, EU decided, in agreement with Cyprus' Government, to take the unprecedented measure to start Funding Turkish Cypriots living in the illegaly Occupied northern part of Cyprus, on the main condition that funded projects would contribute to the Official Aim to help the "Economic Integration" of Cyprus as a whole, in order to facilitate its future reUnification, (according to a famous Formula, initiated for the 1st time, in a Question raised by "EuroFora"'s co-founder to the then EU Chairman, Dutch Foreign Minister Botta, which became later-on an official EU Legal and politically guiding text until today).  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   - It's precisely in his "2001 published Book "Strategic Depth", that " the Architect of Turkey's Multi-Dimensional Foreign Policy, the present Foreign Minister, Professor Ahmet Davutoglu" reportedly gave "the most convincing reason" for which Turkey persists in its illegal Military Invasion/Occupation of Cyprus' Northern part all this time, which might explain why "reUnification Talks are going nowhere", as "GUARDIAN" Newspaper said recently (on November 4, 2010) :

-  "Even if there was not one single Muslim Turk over there", (i.e. in Cyprus' Northern Territories, occupied by Ankara's Military since the 1974 incidents), Turkey would have to maintain a Cyprus' Question". Because "No Country could possibly be indifferent to an Island like this, placed in the Heart of its Vital Space" ! (alias "Liebens Raum", according to Hitler's notoriously favorite claim), the mainstream Brittish Media reminds.

- "The Jury is still out !", apparently replied Cyprus' Ambsassador at the CoE. And It seems that, today, "there is an U.S. interest" for a solution of Cyprus' issue, he added.

- "Aha", reacted Davutoglu. - "No, I'm saying that (you) missed (the opportunity, for a Cyprus' deal back) on 2004", he claimed, apparently making a reference to Cyprus A"mbassador's earlier expression wish to be accredited next year (2011) to Ankara, as he had reportedly asked,s (See supra).

- "And we'd withdraw also our Troups from Cyprus", Turkish Ambassador Batibay claimed in addition, joining the laugh. This was supposed to be a reply to his Cypriot collegue' earlier expressed wish for Ankara to stop occupying illegally the northern part of Cyprus, as UNO SC's. and EU Parliament's Resolutions ask it to do, while Cyprus' Government would accept, in exchange, "all kinds of MONITORING", from CoE, EU or UNO a.o. bodies, in order to ensure that everything would go as scheduled.

- "No, (according to the failed Controversial 5th Version of 2004's Draft Plan), we needed ...19 Years for (the withdrawal of all) Turkish troops", critically replied Cyprus' Ambassador, referring to a long intermediary period of Time, during which, a reduced Turkish Military Occupation would persist, while, on the contrary, the State of the Republic of Cyprus would have been immediately abolished, so that if anyone provoked Disagreements and Breakdown of the process, an irreversible Separatist Partition of Cyprus could have been triggered at any moment, since there was No Mecanism able to ensure that a normal situation could be restored asap.
Laughing, Turkish Ambassador Batibay cut short that brief conversation, made at the initiative of Davitoglu, and guided the Turkish Minister away, before entering another CoE's Room, close to Journalists' Pressroom, for  some unknown meetings behind closed doors....

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[See infra, "EuroFora"s Brief Notes on :  1) EU Commission's 2010 Report on Turkey, 2 ) HISTORIC BACKGROUND ON CoE - Turkey,  3) Turkey's CoE Agenda (Priorities + Conferences), and  4) "EuroFora" hindered to raise Questions : (+ on dissident Turkish Cypriot murdered Journalist Adali, and on People's protection from EWE)]

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1) EU Commission's 2010 Report on Turkey :

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Meanwhile, EU Commmission's 2010 Annual Conclusions on Turkey, published just Yesterday (9 Nov. 2010), focused mainly on the "Urgent" need to respect now its Commitments on Cyprus, Freedom of Press and Religion, etc. and to avoid the "Risks of a Boom-Bust scenario" in an overheated Economy :

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On Cyprus :
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- "It is now Urgent that Turkey fulfils its obligation of Full, Non-Discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement, and makes progress towards normalisation of bilateral relations with ..Cyprus", stressed from the outset EU Commissioner Fule.

But, on the contrary, "there is No Progress towards Normalisation of bilateral relations with the Republic of Cyprus", EU criticized. "It does not meet its obligation of full, non-Discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement, and has not removed all obstacles to the free movement of goods, including Restrictions on direct transport links with Cyprus. ,

- "As regards the Cyprus issue, .... We (EU) reiterate our call on Turkey to contribute in concrete terms to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue."

 - "No one can be satisfied with the current pace of negotiations" between EU and Turkey. In the absence of progress, the Commission recommends that the EU maintains its measures from 2006, which will have a continuous effect on overall progress in the negotiations."

- "There is No Progress towards Normalisation of bilateral relations with the Republic of Cyprus", EU criticized. Turkey "does not meet its obligation of full, non-Discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement, and has not removed all obstacles to the free movement of goods, including Restrictions on direct transport links with Cyprus. ,

- "Despite repeated calls by the Council and the Commission, Turkey still has not complied with its obligations" vis à vis "Cypus, as outlined in the declaration of the EuropeanCommunity ....of 21 September 2005 and in the Council conclusions, including the December 2006 and ...2009 conclusions", EU Commission denounced.

=> As a result, "Lack of communications between Air Traffic Control centres in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus continues to seriously compromise Air Safety", EU warned

+ Moreover, "..the issue of EU-NATO cooperation involving all EU Member States (i.e. including Cyprus, Malta, a.o.) beyond the 'Berlin plus arrangements' remains to be resolved", while also " Turkey has Not aligned with the EU position on membership of the Wassenaar Arrangement" no more..
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- Also, "a considerable number of formal complaints were made by Greece about continued violations of its airspace by Turkey, including flights over Greek islands. Greece also made complaints about violations of its territorial waters"

 - "Turkey ....did not align with the EU in the UN Security Council for additional sanctions against Iran. ......Relations with Israel significantly deteriorated following the Gaza flotilla incident". Meanwhile, "The protocols signed with Armenia to normalise relations are still not ratified."
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Other Exrepts from EU Commission's 2010 Conclusions on Turkey point both on Human Rights, Democracy and rule of Law, as well as on Economy's challenges :
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 - "Significant  efforts are still needed on Fundamental Rights. :  - " The quantity of legal actions against Journalists and undue Pressure on the media Undermine freedom of the Press in practice", added to "Restrictions on Freedom of Expression, and Excessive length of Pre-trial Detention", EU 2010 Report found.

- "On ... Torture and ill-treatment .... Disproportionate use of Force by (Turkish) law-enforcement Authorities continues to be reported, and is of Concern", EU denounced. - Meanwhile, "Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is still Pending" (!), and "Turkey has Not ratified 3 additional Protocols to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)"

+ This obviously aggravates the Danges of Abus provoked by the additional fact that, in Turkey, "the High proportion of Prisoners in pre-trial detention remains one of the most significant Problems", while even "Health services in prison need to be improved", as EU noted.

- "Concerning human rights and the protection of Minorities, ....significant efforts are still needed in particular concerning freedom of Expression and freedom of Religion".

- In "Turkey ....In particular, freedom of expression needs to be ensured in practice", because "Turkish law does not sufficiently guarantee freedom of expression in line with the ECHR and the ECtHR case law : "The high number of cases initiated against Journalists is of Concern". Undue political Pressures on the Media and legal uncertainties affect the exercise of freedom of the press in practice. The frequent website Bans are a source of Concern", EU Commission stressed.
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=> Thus, "the Number of Rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) finding that Turkey has Violated the ECHR continued to increase" even recently :

F.ex., "during the reporting period (2008-2009) the court delivered a total of 553 Judgements finding that Turkey had Violated the ECHR" ! "The number of New Applications to the ECtHR went Up, for the 4th consecutive Year :  Since October 2009, a total of 5,728 New applications were made to the ECtHR. .....As of September 2010, a number of 16,093 cases were Pending before the ECtHR regarding Turkey.....

- "However, some (ECHR's) Rulings have Not been followed up by Turkey, for several Years", (precisely : more than a .. Decade !)". Even the
Turkish "Government’s announcement that it would address these issues, was Not followed by action", EU Commission denounced.

- In consequence, "the Non-implementation of" certain  ECHR's "Judgments has resulted in Deprivation of Liberty for the defendants for several Years, without due process of law", EU observed.  "Furthermore, Turkey has Not adopted legal measures to prevent repetitive prosecution and conviction of Conscientious Objectors. Other issues awaiting .. measures by Turkey concern" not only "restrictions on Freedom of Expression, and excessive length of Pre-trial Detention", (See supra), but also the core issue of the need for a "Control of the activities of (Turkish) Security forces, (and of) effective Remedies against Abuse" many times committed by them, as ECHR has repeatedly found, (f.ex. Killings, Torture and/or Inhuman/Degrading Treatments, Enforced Disappearances, Arbitrary Deprivations of Liberty and/or Expulsions added to Usurpation of Family Homes and other private Properties, etc).

These are, indeed, both the Oldest ECHR Judgements (added to New ones), and the more Serious, blatant Violations of  core Human Rights, for which ECHR has repeatedly condemned the Turkish State since 1996 up to 2010, but without Ankara taking efficient measures to stop other such violations : An obviously grave issue of Human Rights' contempt, which certainly deserves much better than to be almost ...hidden in a few words, written in Small letters, only ... at the end of a ..Footnote, as some bureaucrat inside EU Commission scandalously did  ! (See p. 16 of the 2010 Annual Report)

Moreover, EU also observes that "in the Cyprus v. Turkey case, the issue of MISSING persons, and restrictions on the Property rights of Greek Cypriots living permanently in the northern part of Cyprus, remains Pending", (as well as that of Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced Persons' Family Homes and private properties, still illegaly usurpared until now, 2010, since the 1974 Turkish Military Invasion/Occupation of the Northern part of Cyprus).

+ At the same time, "Human rights Defenders have continued to face Criminal Proceedings. Investigations carried out as part of the fight against terrorism have raised Concerns, following the Arrests of Trade union and Human rights activists. The wide definition of terrorism under the (Turkish) Anti-Terror Law
remains a cause for Concern", EU Commission stressed.

- "As regards the fight against Impunity" of Torturers among Turkish Security Forces, an official "Human Rights Investigation Committee noted that NONE of the 35 lawsuits filed against 431 members of the Istanbul Police for ill-treatment or Torture resulted in a Conviction" (!), denounced the 2010 EU Report.."According to the same report, only 2% of Police officers accused of ill-treatment or Torture are subject to disciplinary Sanctions as a result of an administrative Investigation" "The committee concluded that this gives rise to Suspicions about the effectiveness of proceedings initiated against Turkish law-enforcement agents".

- Thus, ECHR has to wait from 1995 up to .. 2010, i.e. more than ...15 Years, in order to find, at last, ... only one (1 !) case of a Turkish State's Agent responsible for Torture and/or Killing to be punished : "This is the 1st  verdict where a (Turkish) court has convicted a Senior prison Official" to prison for some years, EU Commissioner Fule noted, speaking of "the case of  the Death in Detention of Engin Çeber (who) was arrested for distributing a legal journal .. and "Died as a result of Injuries sustained during Torture in a Police station in Istanbul and Metris Prison on ..2008". Commissioner Fule forgot to mention also the fact that, many times, Turkish Authorities had already pretended to "condemn" a few Officials for Torture and/or Killing, but afterwards they were either Acquitted or their Prison sentences were changed into Fines, subsequently reduced into tiny proportions.! ...

- But ECHR was obliged to "Condemn Turkey on several (other) accounts (for) Lack of an Effective Investigation", in the case f.ex.,  of members of the Security forces who took part in an operation at (a) Prison.., which had led to the Death of 8 prisoners and injured 6" at Diyarnakir. And Turksy has Not sufficiently "addressed the Backlog of Judicial proceedings", while, "Administrative Investigations into allegations of Torture or ill-treatment are STILL carried out by fellow police officers"                                                                                                                                                                                              

Turkey's "human rights Institutions need to be brought fully in line with the UN Principles", even before they abide with European Values, EU concluded.
----------------------------

- "As regards freedom of Religion, ... the implementation of the law on Foundations ...Delays and (faced) procedural Problems. The dialogue with the Alevis and non-Muslims ....has Not yet produced results. Members of Minority Religions continue to be subject to Threats by Extremists", (in additions to Christian Priests notoriously Murdered in Turkey on 2005, 2007 and 2010 : Santoro, Bible-workers and Mgr Luigi Padovese cases, respectively)

- "Turkey's approach to ...Minorities ....remains Restrictive. Full respect for and protection of language, culture and fundamental rights, in accordance with European standards, have yet to be fully achieved". "Turkey needs to make further efforts to enhance tolerance and promote inclusiveness vis-à-vis minorities."..restrictions remain, particularly on the use of such languages in political life, education and contacts with public services".

- On " the Kurdish issue" Turkey "fell short of expectations". ... The decision of the Constitutional Court to close down the Democratic Society Party (DTP), and a surge in PKK terrorist attacks, also undermined" the situation.

- "It is important that efforts addressing the Kurdish issue are sustained through broad Consultation", EU underlined.

- "The anti-terror legislation needs to be amended to avoid undue restrictions on the exercise of fundamental rights", EU Commission observed, (while even freshly Elected Kurdish Mayors and Regional Counsellors were notoriously arrested, massively jailed and prosecuted since the 2009 Local/Regional Elections in Turkey).                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

- "The village guard system (often acccused of Killings, usurpation of Refugees' Homes and other Abuses), still needs to be phased out"

+ "Compensation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) ... is Not effective. The government has Not developed an overall national strategy to address the IDP issue and needs to step up efforts to address IDPs' needs."

- In addition, "the existence of numerous Landmines continues to raise Concerns".
--------------------
 + "The issue of Roma has become more publicly debated" in Turkey (which hosts the Biggest Roma Minority among all CoE's members, as CoE discovered recently, after Decades of Ankara's denials) .... However, in the absence of a comprehensive policy to advance social inclusion of Roma, the latter still frequently face Discriminatory treatment inaccess to education, housing, health services and public services"

- Meanwile, "Honour Killings, early and Forced marriages and domestic Violence" still are "serious Problems"... Ensuring women's rights and gender equality in practice remain key challenges for Turkey", where ".... the authorities exercise Excessive controls and continue to launch Closure cases against LGBT associations".

 - Drop-outs of Children from Schools remain a source of Concern." + " Although there has been some progress, ....the vast Majority of Turkish Students perform at the Lowest ...levels", EU denounced. "Participation in higher education remains Low by international standards. ... Overall, reforms and increased spending on education are obviously having some positive impact... , but significant Problems persist"

- On "Trade Union rights ....there are restrictive provisions in the current legal framework which are not in line with EU standards and ILO Conventions. Lack of consensus between social partners and government is an obstacle to the adoption of new legislation".
---------------------------------------------------

".. Constitutional reforms on ... the Judiciary. ...now need to be implemented in line with European standards"... "The package of constitutional amendments ....was not preceded by a consultation process involving political parties and civil society at large. Implementation ...in line with European standards and in a transparent and inclusive way, will be key".

- "Senior members of the Armed Forces have continued to make statements beyond their remit, in particular on judicial issues", and "No progress was made in terms of parliamentary oversight over the defence budget"

"In the area of the judiciary .... the Minister of Justice still chairs the High Council and has the last word on investigations." ...

"...Corruption remains prevalent in many areas". Therefore, "Turkey needs to develop a track record of investigations, indictments and convictions."
-----------------------

TURKISH ECONOMY : "Risks of a Boom-Bust scenario" ?

---------------------
- "The Turkish Economy was hit hard by the global financial Crisis", and even now EU observes "rapidly widening trade and current account Deficits,.... Unemployment ...still Higher than pre-crisis levels,  and rising Inflationary pressures".

"... fiscal rule ....has been Delayed"

- "Turkey's fiscal Deficit and Debt stock"... "increased". 

- "Privatisation" became "Slower". 

- "External Imbalances and financing Needs have been growing significantly ..."

- "Inflationary pressures increased considerably, chiefly because of pressures stemming from energy inputs...".

=> Therefore, Turkey must take measures to "minimize the Risks of a Boom-Bust scenario", EU Commission warned.

- "Unemployment rate  remains Higher than its pre-crisis levels, and Demographic factors are expected to keep
unemployment High in coming Years."

"The Low capacity to create new jobs, is clearly linked to a skills-Mismatch, between labour demand and supply, as well as excessive labour market regulation"

- "There are Obstacles to market exit and bankruptcy proceedings are relatively
Cumbersome. The crisis has further Complicated the access of SMEs to finance.

"The legal environment, and in particular court procedures, continue to ...create Obstacles to a better Business environment"

"The ... persisting Lack of transparency on the allocation of state aids is not conducive to improving the business climate."

- "Informal economy remains an important challenge".

- " Efforts need to continue to pursue alignment in areas such as Environment, Company law, public Procurement and right of Establishment and Freedom to provide Services. As regards the Customs Union, alignment needs to be completed.

- "A number of longstanding Trade Irritants remain Unresolved, such as conformity assessments checks, import and export
licensing requirements, IPR effective enforcement, ....tax Discriminatory treatment.

- "It is essential that Turkey ...removes a large number of Obstacles affecting EU products that are in free circulation".

- "it is Crucial that Turkey improves (in order) to cope with the acquis.
 
- "Technical Barriers to trade continue to exist, Hampering free circulation of goods, and (even) New Barriers have been added" !

- "No progress has been recorded in the fields of Services and Establishment. ....The legal framework against financing of
terrorism is still Incomplete.

- "Turkey made No progress on capital movement and payments".

-  The alignment strategy needs to be adopted, and Turkey needs to further align its legislation, particularly on utilities, concessions and
public-private partnerships.

"On company law, .... the legal and institutional framework for Auditing is Not yet in place", and. .... the adoption of necessary IPR legislation... is pending. Coordination and cooperation on IPR needs to be improved"

- "Several Obstacles to Market development remain in place" :

"The legislation on electronic Communications, Information society services and audiovisual policy require further adjustments. Agriculture .... policies showed only Minor transition towards the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)".

- "Turkey Failed to fully remove technical Barriers to trade in bovine products.  Slippage in the timetable for accreditation of the IPARD structures also represent a Shortcoming"

- "No progress has been made regarding Rail market opening and Safety"

>>> "The lack of communications between Air traffic control centres in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus continues to seriously
compromise Air Safety"

- "In the Maritime sector, No progress has been made on becoming a party to international conventions", while "Administrative and implementation capacity remains Limited".

- "In the energy sector, ...further efforts are needed in the fields of natural Gas, Nuclear energy, nuclear safety, radiation protection and State aid.

... Hardly any progress can be reported on direct and indirect Taxation."
-----------------------------------------------
- "In the field of Social policy and employment.  ... overall alignment remains Limited and the administrative capacity needs strengthening. A reform to achieve full trade union rights in line with EU standards and ILO conventions is still Pending".

"There are ... Concerns regarding Undeclared work, Low female employment rates, enforcement of the health and safety legislation. A general policy framework to combat Poverty is also lacking".

- "Limited improvements can be reported on the business environment : ... there is still a need to improve the administrative capacity of the institutions involved in the implementation of the pre-accession funds".

".... With respect to anti-Corruption, ...Turkey needs to develop a track record of investigation, indictments, and convictions.

- "No progress to be reported on judicial cooperation in criminal and civil matters. ...Urgent adoption of draft legislation and ratification of signed international agreements is key".... "Commitments to enforce effectively intellectual property rights and the fight against counterfeit goods need to be respected."

- "However, Turkey has made very Limited progress as regards Climate change, and No progressin the area of Nature protection"
----------------------------------------

- "Overall, ...., macroeconomic Stability remains Vulnerable"

"Government authorities still tend to set the Prices in some key areas, including in Electricity and Gas markets, and to a lesser extent in
Telecommunications and Transportation, in particular in rail transportation"

" Privatisations ... Decreased,
from €4..  billion (1% of GDP) in 2008, to €1.. billion (0.4% of GDP) in 2009", and "advanced .. at a Slower pace, due to the Worsening external environment".

- "A Major Impact on Market entry and exit" appeared "in 2009" :   the number of newly established firms Decreased by -10%, while the number of firms which were Closed down increased by +8.5%.

- "Foreign owners still face Restrictions in various areas, including Maritime transport, civil Aviation, ground-handling, Road transport, radio and TV broadcasting, Energy, Accountancy and Education. ...F.ex., 25 different Procedures are still needed in order to build a warehouse"! "Market exit is Difficult too, as Closing a Business still takes 3.3 Years on average. Moreover, claimants recover only 1/5 of their claims from insolvent firms. Overall, market exit procedures remain relatively Cumbersome" : F.ex., "Enforcing commercial Contracts remains a Lengthy process, which involves 35 Procedures and takes 420 Days on average" !...

"The specialisation of commercial Court judges is insufficient, leading to Lengthy Court Proceedings. The expert witness system still functions ...without improving the overall quality. Use of out-of-court dispute-settlement mechanisms remains Low".

"Overall, the Legal environment, ... continues to pose ...Obstacles"
-------------
. "Banking sector .. increased its share to 78% of the total financial sector..... However, due to the very strong ongoing Credit Growth ..., regulatory authorities need to remain Vigilant".

- "Domestic Demand ...is also fuelling rapid expansion in ...Account Deficit, pointing to the return of persistent Imbalances in the Turkish economy". ...

- "At the same time, potential growth in Turkey is being Held Back by high Inactivity, and Insufficiently broad... productivity".

------------
- During the crisis, Investment Decreased and gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) fell ...in 2009.... FDI inflows ..fell by about -20% in the first half of 2010, compared with a year earlier".

- "For many years Infrastructure investment has been Hampered, by the need to consolidate public finances, and the Failure to cut lower-priority spending. Inadequate infrastructure is increasingly affecting economic activity", so that "there is a Risk that" it, ("including for Power supply"), could Hamper the economic Recovery" : => "Gross Electricity Consumption Growth has averaged some +7% in each of the last few years, and extra Power-generating Capacity is being constructed, albeit with some Delays".

"Although the official government target was to increase research and development expenditure to 2% of GDP by 2010, R&D expenditure remains much lower, on just 1.4%.
-------------
- "Market liberalisation has Not advanced in Agriculture". Moreover, "the sectoral shift from agriculture to services and industry was Reversed by the Slowdown in economic activity", Thus, "the share of Agriculture in overall employment increased from 23.. % to 24.. % between December 2008 and December 2009" !

- "Both industry and construction saw their relative shares of total Employment Decline, by a combined total of -1.5%."

- "The quality and frequency of data on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remained Poor. Various ...the share of SMEs in total banking sector Loans Decreased from 23% at ...2008, to 21.4% by ...2009. ""ééééééEarmarked Funds of €500 million were Underutilised, as only 7 SMEs had received credit guarantee support by ..March 2010.

- "The large Informal sector, which is fuelled by Weaknesses in Tax and expenditure policies, as well as in Law enforcement, remains
an important Challenge"

=> "Overall, the crisis Slowed Down, or even Reversed structural shifts in economic activity", and "Complicated access to finance for SMEs".
-------------------------

+ "There has been No tangible progress in the field of State Aid. As transparency in the decisionmaking process remains Low, it is still Difficult to judge the rationale and consistency of the individual decisions taken". "Adoption of the commercial code has again been Postponed. The Absence of transparent Monitoring of state Aid, and of supporting policies to reduce Distortion, continued to have an Adverse effect on ...competitiveness in the economy. Public Procurement policies continued to be Undermined by Exceptions to the regulatory framework. Overall, state intervention continued to be Untransparent, which might have had a Negative effect on Competition".

- In consequence, "Turkish ...total value of Exports.... Decreased to about 47.. % of GDP by the end of 2009, from 52.. % in 2008".

+ "EU’s share ... in Turkey’s Exports Decreased from 48% in 2008 to 46% in 2009....  Simultaneously, Turkey was somehow able to diversify its exports towards Other Regions : The share of Exports to African and Middle East countries ... increased from 10% in 2008, to over 20% in 2009", obviously starting a move towards elsewhere in the World.

-------------------------------------------
2) HISTORIC BACKGROUND ON CoE - Turkey :

Turkey has been a CoE Member since the Cold-War period, when USA's priority notoriously was to boost NATO allies vis a vis former "USSR" and other "Socialist" Countries' Warsaw Military Pact, but stayed inside CoE even after the End of Cold War, the reUnification of Europe, the dissolution of Warsaw Pact, and EU/CoE Accession of all former Central Eastern European Countries, including Russia's CoE entry,  as well as Armenia's, Georgia's and Azerbaidzan's) etc., while former EU applicant, French and Spanish-speaking Morocco (which hadn't any Borders with Russia to deploy NATO troops), stayed out, and is currently trying to cooperate with some CoE's  projects, as well as former "URSS" country Kazakstan, etc.  Meanwhile, CoE gave also Special Status to other, clearly Non-European Friendly Countries, such as USA, Canada, Japan, etc., even Mexico..

The previous time Turkey took over CoE's rotating chair reportedly was back on 1992, long before a 2005 CoE Summit gave to the Strasbourg's Organization the Mission to focus on Human Rights, Demoracy and Rule of Law, (i.e., by a coincidence, when "EuroFora"s co-founder was just starting to work at EU/CoE Press sector). A series of CoE Member Countries had lodged a Collective application to the ECHR against the Turkish State for serious Violations of Human Rights in the Past, during the Military Government of the 1980ies, (as they had done also against the former Military Chunta in the 1970ies in Greece, which had been obliged to withdraw its CoE Membership), while a former CoE Director of Legal/Human Rights affairs had reportedly considered to provoke a similar move of Membership withdrawal for Turkey back in the 1960ies , during an exceptionally hard clash against an Elected Government notoriously culminating even at the Killing of an elected Prime Minister in Ankara). Since then, the only InterState applications versus Turkey were lodged to the ECHR by Cyprus (concerning manifold Human Rights' violations linked to the peristing Turkish Military Invasion and Occupation 1974-2010), and by Denmark, (concering Torture inflicted to a Refugee from Turkey who preferred to stay in Denmark and focus, instead, on his  Danish Nationality, as he had declared to the Press during the 1990ies)    

  
But it's the 1st time in History that one and same CoE Member State gets, at the same period of time, both Presidencies of CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, (chaired by EDG group's MEP Mevut Cavusoglu, instead of the initially scheduled since 2005 Russian MEP Margelov, former Chairman of the same EDG Group, who was pushed to withdraw : Comp. f.ex. Margelov's statements to "EuroFora"'s co-founder, published on 2004), and of CoE's Ministerial Committee, (chaired by Foreign Minister Davutoglu), concentrating an unprecedented amount of institutional Power, that several EU and other European Countries will be carefully watching to check if the current Turkish Government will be smart enough to avoid falling to the trap of the temptation to commit any eventual Abuse against Freedoms, even inside the PanEuropean Organization.

---------------------------
3) Turkey's CoE Agenda (Priorities + Conferences) :

    Turkey's CoE Priorities for the 6 next Months, explicitly add,

beyond  CoE's own General Agenda on continuing the 2009 engaged institutional Reform of the PanEuropean Organisation and of the February 2010 initiated ECHR internal Reform (see "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from the Interlaken Ministerial CoE Conference, organized under the Swiss CoE Presidency on February and ECHR President Jean-Paul Costa's replies to our Questions at the concluding Press Conference),

mainly Ankara's declared choice in favor of "Multi-Culturalism" and "living together", side by side, instead of united in an "Integrated" Society with Cohesion and common Identity, as, on the contrary, mainstream EU Member States, f.ex. Germany, France and many others wish, at least for the European Union area, as German Chancellor Angie Merkel, supported by many Politicians and People, recently stressed, by notoriously denouncing the "utter Failure" of "Multi-Culti" and focusing, instead, on EU's vital need to succeed social "Integration").

    During its rotating CoE Chair, Turkey intends to oganize a series of Conferences mainly on "Prisons" (2), and Tools allowing to act on suspicion to "Prevent", even before any "Terrorist" act might be committed,  as well as in favor of a "Multi-Cultural"/"Inter-Cultural" "living together",  and Immigrants (curiously ..ommitting even to mention the well-known key-word of Cultural and Social "Integration", at least of Immigrant's Children !), as well as on "Violence in Families" (an issue traditionally pushed by Turkish Authorities since 1999-2003, and now co-organized by a Local Turkish representative in Strasbourg, near Switzerland, where a Refugee, escapee from traumatizing Torture in Turkey, was atrociously Killed in Brutal Attacks by Policemen intruding inside his own Family Home, apparently manipulated by Anonymous Slandering by shady spying "neighbours", as Swiss Media Videos revealed), etc., ambitioning to conclude, at the last minute, with a  Conference immitating the famous ..Swiss Government-hosted Ministerial gathering on ECHR Future at Interlaken (See "EuroFora"s NewsReports from the spot, with ECHR President Jean-Paul Costa's replies to our Questions, etc), but astonishingly choosing to host a Human Rights meeting in a City where notorious Massacers took place in 1922 against its historically Majority Greek population, provoking massive "Ethnic Cleansing" shortly after the Armenian Genocide, as even an American Ambassador eye-witness  described in a famous Book : Izmir (called Smyrne for Thousands of years), instead f.ex. of non-controversial Antalya, that PACE Chairman Cavusoglu had told "EuroFora" that he preferred, (etc.), shortly before passing over CoE's rotating chair to Ukraine on May 2010.

------------------------------
4) "EuroFora" hindered to raise Questions : (+ on dissident Turkish Cypriot murdered Journalist Adali, and on People's protection from EWE)

When we raised hands during the incoming CoE's Turkish Chair, at first, there was no response. Instead, the speech was given to a visiting Turkish Journalist who asked whether the exceptional fact that both the Presidents of CoE's Parliamentary Assembly and of its Committee of Ministers "are Turks", and at the same time - something never seen before, for any other CoE Member Country, (not even Russia, whose turn was initially for Assembly's presidency,  for which Moscow had been waiting since 2005, with the then Chairman of EDG Group, Margelov : Comp. Chairman Margelov's statements to "EuroFora"'s founder, published since 2004), but was, instead, given to Turkey in 12/2009 -  might change and "mobilize" something in the CoE, as she said.

Immediately afterwards, when "EuroFora" anew raised a hand in an even more Visible way, suddenly, a Turkish Official at the CoE changed attitude at that precise moment, deciding to anounce  that now, there will be only "a Last question",  and gave the speech again to another ... (resident) Turkish collegue !.

Our intention was to raise 2 Questions :

1) Given the exceptionally tragic loss of many Lives of Poor, innocent People in Turkey by the 1999 Earthquake, as well as other Extreme Weather and/or Geological Events elsewhere in Europe and in the World, including this 2010 Summer, (f.ex. Killer Heatwave in Russia, Floods/Landslides in Pakistan and China, etc), would the Turkish CoE chair consider useful to activate CoE's EUR-OPA PanEuropean Mecanism dedidated to struggle (with the use of the latest High-Tech RST) against Natural and Man-made Major Hazards ?

2) While EU Commission's 2010 Report on Turkey focuses its Criticism on Press Freedom Violations, denouncing too many Harassment against Journalists, Turkey is also the only CoE Member State strongly condemned by ECHR for lack of Efficient Investigation to find an punish those responsible for the cold blood Murder of a Journalist (in the case we wanted to raise : Dissident Turkish Cypriot Journalist Kutlu Adali, shot by 5 Bullets at the Head in the Occupied Terriories of Cyprus), which seems ready to escape from any control by CoE's Ministerial Committee on the implementation of ECHR's judgement, without even having found neither the motives of the Murder, nor any suspect ! Could he act so that Justice might be done, without so obviously Dangerous Exceptions on ECHR Judgements' implementation in cases of Journalists' Murders ?