Thorbjørn Jagland

The Council of Europe awarded the 2016 Raoul Wallenberg Prize to ‘Agkalia’, a Greek NGO operating on the island of Lesbos, for “outstanding achievements in providing frontline assistance to thousands of refugees irrespective of their origin and religion.”

The arrest of prominent Turkish journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül has again raised concerns about media freedom in Turkey, a spokesperson from the European Council has told daily Hürriyet, with the reporters urging the EU not to ignore human rights violations in Turkey as it bargains with Ankara on refugees.

Bulgaria assumed on Tuesday the rotating Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This occurred at a meeting attended by representatives of the organisation's 47 member states at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg.

The European Union and Council of Europe have both underlined the high voter turnout during the Nov. 1 snap elections in statements issued a day after the polls, while expressing a desire to advance cooperation with Turkey on a number of issues.

Bulgaria looks at the forthcoming presidency of the Council of Europe as an opportunity to contribute to security in Europe, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said at a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland in Sofia on Monday.

Council of Europe has withdrawn from a joint group on human rights issues in Azerbaijan, according to a written statement released Sept. 7, by the spokesperson of the organization's secretary general.

The Bulgarian presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe starting next month has been in the focus of Monday's meeting between the Secretary General of the Council Thorbjorn Jagland and Bulgaria's newly appointed permanent representative Katya Todorova.

The violent attack on Hürriyet columnist Ahmet Hakan has drawn condemnation from international officials, who expressed concern about the state of freedom of expression in Turkey.

U.K. Ambassador to Turkey Richard Moore described the attack on Ahmet Hakan as ?intolerable.?

As part of his campaign for the Nov. 1 snap election, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu, will gather with Turkish citizens during consecutive visits to six European countries, where he will also meet top European politicians in order to discuss the growing refugee crisis the EU has encountered. 

The Council of Europe (COE) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have condemned the recent attacks targeting Turkish security forces by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants as well as the latest attacks on Turkish political parties and media outlets.