Jagland is in Turkey for a three-day visit at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu which will end on Tuesday. During his meeting with Jagland, Gül highlighted the importance of the CoE’s role in struggling against negative tendencies such as discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia, which he said have been on the rise recently.
Recalling a UN-led initiative called the Alliance of Civilizations, which is co-sponsored by Turkey and Spain, Gül said the CoE should also help to develop understanding and dialogue among different civilizations.
Jagland’s visit to Turkey comes shortly after the election of Turkish deputy Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu as the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and months before Turkey takes over the chairmanship in the Committee of Ministers, the pan-European organization’s decision-making body, in November.
While in Turkey, in addition to Gül, Jagland is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu and PACE President Çavuşoğlu.
