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Frozen conflicts must be solved, says PACE President on eve of visit to South Caucasus

03 July 2007 15:00 (UTC +04:00)

This will be his second visit to the three countries of the Southern Caucasus during his mandate.
Mr van der Linden will be in Armenia on 4-5 July, Georgia on 5-7 July, and Azerbaijan on 8-10 July. On 7 July, he will visit South Ossetia for meetings in Tskhinvali and Kurta.
Speaking on the eve of his visit, the President said: â€œThis is an important region for the Council of Europe, and my main aim in returning here is to see how we can do more to solve the frozen conflicts in the countries concerned. Only this will enable the peaceful development of the region in the interest of all its peoples.â€
As well as the role of parliamentary diplomacy in solving conflicts, the President intends to raise the rights of the opposition, freedom of expression, the role of civil society, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, relations with neighbouring countries, and the building of one Europe without dividing lines.
He is due to meet the Presidents and leading members of the parliament and government in all three countries, as well as, among others, the leaders of different political forces, representatives of civil society and the media, and religious leaders.
Press conference will be arranged in Yerevan (Wednesday 4 July), Tbilisi (Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July) and Baku (Monday 9 July), times and places to be confirmed. /APA/