Thorbjørn Jagland

Germany called on Turkey's ambassador to Berlin on Feb. 28 to protest the arrest of a correspondent for a German newspaper, further fueling tensions between the two NATO allies. 

Turkey deserves applause from Europe for its performance in "defending democracy against the July 2016 coup attempt," European Union Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik has stated.

Turkey observes Council of Europe norms and the rule of law, Çelik told reporters on Jan. 24 after meeting U.K. Minister of State for International Trade Mark Price.

After a week of continued earthquakes in ties between Turkey and the European Union following the arrests of 12 lawmakers of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), including its co-leaders, Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, and the editor-in-chief and a number of writers of daily Cumhuriyet, it seems both parties are willing to launch a new process of dialogue. 

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has warned Ankara of the risk of increasing the number of appeals at the European Court of Human Rights due to harsh state of emergency measures, raising concern about disproportionate measures taken by decree laws. 

The Council of Europe warned Turkey against re-establishing the death penalty on Oct. 30. 

"Executing the death penalty is incompatible with membership of the Council of Europe," the 47-member organization, which includes Turkey, tweeted a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said his government would ask parliament to consider reintroduction.

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic will attend the September 15-16 European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Strasbourg.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has sought to assure the Council of Europe (CoE) that the Turkish government will be transparent in the post-coup attempt process, underlining that the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) would continue to be Turkey's guide, even during difficult times.

World powers and the international community have extended messages of strong solidarity with the people of Turkey in the face of the threat that the country's democratic institutions and the constitutional order have been facing.

Minutes after Bulgaria's rotating chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers with the Council of Europe had come to an end, CoE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland spoke to Novinite about the priorities touched during the committee's sessions, key issues Bulgaria is facing, and problems in other countries.

Foreign Affairs Ministers of 47 member states of the Council of Europe are meeting on Wednesday to discuss the observation of democracy and human rights in Europe and policies toward neighboring regions.

Chaired by Bulgaria's top diplomat Daniel Mitov, the session will be opened by the country's President Rosen Plevneliev.