Greece on Friday took over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Georgia, with the ceremony conducted over a video-conference with representatives of 47 member states of the Organisation.
The Greek Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, outlined the priorities of the Greek Chairmanship for the next six months.
“Given the current context, Greece has chosen to focus its chairmanship on the protection of public health and responses to the health crisis, while at the same time ensuring respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” the Council of Europe said in an offical statement.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou commented on the chairmanship takeover on Friday, claiming to make Greece’s take-over the first “e-chairmanship” in the history of the 47-nation body.
“The Greek chairmanship of the Council of Europe begins by prioritising the protection of human life, public health and human rights in the Covid-19 pandemic,” Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou commented on Friday.
Other areas that will be at the focus of Greece’s efforts as chairman of the CoE, Sakellaropoulou added, are the efficiency of the justice systems, the rights of young people and climate change.
On 4 November, Athens will host the session of the Committee of Ministers bringing together the 47 Foreign Ministers, and the ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights.
