CoE Sec-Gen: I believe Georgia will very successfully lead CoE Committee of Ministers

Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Marija Pejcinovic Buric, who has come to Georgia to make things ready for Georgia’s chairmanship of the CoE Committee of Ministers starting November 27, has stated that she is sure Georgia will cope with the “big responsibility very successfully.”

Georgia will take over the chairmanship of the CoE’s decision making body [from France] for the first time in 20 years.

I am glad that along with the protection of human rights and the rule of law, Georgia, as the new chair of the Committee of Ministers, has named environmental issues among its priorities in the role. The decision points at the importance of the issue to the country,” Buric said, who is holding her first official visit as the CoE secretary general to Georgia.

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has also discussed the occupation issues with the CoE secretary general. Photo: Foreign Ministry press office. 

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has stated after his meeting with Buric that the 6-month chairmanship is both a “huge responsibility and an opportunity for Georgia,” to help overcome the challenges the CoE faces and to support the major values of the organisation – strengthening the human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Taking over the chairmanship matches with the 20th anniversary of Georgia’s membership in the CoE.

• CoE is a leading human rights organisation founded in 1949 with 47 member states, 28 of which are members of the EU.
• All CoE members have signed the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty designed to protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.   
• The European Court of Human Rights oversees the implementation of the convention in the CoE member states.