Laurent Anselmi, Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, took part in the 130th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which was held on November 4 by videoconference due to the health crisis in Europe.

The Foreign Ministers of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe participated in the work of this annual ministerial meeting organised by the Greek Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, in the presence of top officials including the Secretary General of the Organisation, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

This meeting, which took place concomitantly with the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, was an opportunity for Foreign Ministers to reaffirm their deep desire to defend the principles and rights enshrined in the Convention as well as their determination to work for a united Europe in the face of current common challenges.

Anselmi spoke about the need for collective action in the face of the pandemic as well as the importance of creating a space of shared values beyond the borders of the continent. In his speech, he spoke of Monaco’s attachment to the Convention system and recalled the obligation of litigating States to fully and under all circumstances execute judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

Finally, he said that a high-level academic colloquium on “Monaco and the European Convention on Human Rights” would be held in the Principality soon, as soon as the health situation permits, in order to celebrate the 70th anniversary nationally. At the same time, 43 member states of the Council of Europe, including Monaco, supported the Athens Declaration of the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, entitled “Respond effectively to a health crisis while fully respecting human rights. Humanity, Democracy and the Rule of Law ”, by which they reiterated their commitment to respect the European Convention on Human Rights in all circumstances and to collectively guarantee a healthy environment for future generations.

The virtual meeting was also devoted to the adoption of four decisions relating to the importance of multilateralism in the context of COVID-19, the effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights at the end of the process of reform of Interlaken, Council of Europe policy towards neighbouring regions and the human rights situation in areas affected by conflicts and crises in Europe.

FILE PHOTO: Laurent Anselmi takes part in an international conference in February this year