New CoE Chair, MFA Soini to EF on 1st Test of Finland's Presidency: ECHR Judgements' Execution+

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- What has just become the "First Test" of CoE's Committee of Ministers' new Presidency by Finland was evoked, Today, in a short but Topical Question/Reply exchange between the incoming Chairman of the PanEuropean Organisation's Highest Political Body, its Committee of Ministers, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini and "Eurofora", during the Ceremonies for the Official Hand-over of Power from Croatian deputy Prime Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić, (Comp. Buric's Replies to "Eurofora" Questions at: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coeminoritiesprotection20yearsafter.html), in the Palace of Europe, followed by a relevant Flag Change Event in Strasbourg :

 - New CoE's President-in-office, Minister Soini, clearly confirmed, indeed, in his reply to a relevant "Eurofora"s Question, that, Yes, Finland's Presidency intends to pay due Attention in the Implementation of ECHR's Judgements, during its Short in Time but Crucial 6 Months-Long term : the key period of November 2018 - May 2019.

+ We are aware of the Fact that Finland's CoE Presidency takes over in the middle of Huge "Challenges", and amidst a particularly High "Pressure", but we really intend to Focus on CoE's "Essentials" nowaday, i.e. "Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law", he confirmed earlier.

Indeed, a "particular" rank is held by "the respect for the European Court’s judgments", also inside Finland's CoE Presidency's Programme, that Soini presented Officially Today at the PanEuropean Organisation's Top body, its Committee of Ministers' mid-2018 special meeting.

 This is only the 2nd Time that Finland chairs the CoE, 20 Years after the 1st he reminded, evoking the Chairmanship by Finnish f. Foreign Minister Tarja Halonen during the 1990ies, before that also of the EU on 1999, that "Eurofora"s co-Founder had Interviewed then (Both Published at "TCWeekly"), as well as also, later-on, after she was Elected Finland's President, including at UNO's Climat Summit at Copenhagen, Denmark, on 2009 (f.ex.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/irish/halonen.html, http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/copenhagen1.html, http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/2010extremeweathereventscausereply.html, + 2012 for the UN: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/halonenunoreport.html, etc).

++ On this occasion, Soini also Replied Positively to another "Eurofora"s Question about the particularly "Important" Nowadays, (among various Other "Issues raised by Digital Technologies vis a vis Human Rights"), area of "Artificial Intelligence", which is part and parcel of another Finnish Priority.

+++ Ambassador Satu Mattila-Budich added to "Eurofora" that this choice was agreed with the CoE also because of a wish to prepare a relevant Recommendation asap.

Interestingly, Finland takes over afterwards also EU's rotating Presidency soon, and this would stimulate useful InterActions between the PanEuropean, 47 Member States strong CoE and the 28 EU Countries' more Economic and Political, powerful Group.

=> In this Context, a Crucial "1st Test" has just Started to Emerge in Strasbourg for the incoming Finland's CoE Presidency, which will have to Face, First of all, Turkey's Openly Declared Claim to Refuse to Comply with its Commitment to execute several ECHR's Judgements which have pronounced Clear Condamnations for serious Human Rights' Violations :

- Already since September 2018, Turkey has Started to put into Real Practice its explicit Threat of June 2018 to .. Bycott CoE's Committee of Ministers' Human Rights sessions dedicated to its Duty to Supervise the Execution of ECHR's Judgements, according to the relevant PanEuropean Legal Convention, unless if CoE Yields to Ankara's Blackmail to entirely Stop even Examining the situation regarding the Implementation of a Series of ECHR's Decisions which have already Condemned Turkey for manifold Violations in cases of Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced persons, (illegaly Hindered to Return Back and/or to have Access to their Family Homes, Ancestral Land and other Private Properties in their Ancestral Land, Occupied by the Turkish Foreign Army since its 1974 Military Invasion at the Northern Part of Cyprus, See, f.ex. : ..., etc).

 Ankara's Representatives, indeed, Refused to Participate in the Latest CoE Committee of Ministers' Human Rights Session on the execution of ECHR Judgements Condemning Turkey for continuing Violations of the Rights of Both Refugees/IDPs, and even "Missing" Persons and their Families, (9/2018), insisting to Press COE to "Close" all those Pending Files.

Reacting, CoE's Highest Political Body, its Committee of Ministers, issued a 1st Official Decision, to "Deplore" Turkey's Refusal "to Cooperate" in that field, since September 2018, and Warned Ankara that such moves go Against CoE Member States' Commitments,  (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/turkeuyrefusescooperationwithcoe.html (etc).

- And that Turkey's attempt to Blackmail the CoE in order to "Close" several such Pending Cases concerning Cyprus (Comp. Supra), was also Denounced as being "of course, UnAcceptable", as it was said to "Eufora" by Austrian Ambassador to the CoE, Gerhard Jandl, who currently Chairs the EU Member States' Group inside the PanEuropean CoE, (See, f.ex., http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/eucoereactonturkeyrefusaltocooperate.html, etc).

The incoming Finland's Presidency of the CoE is expected to Face that UnPrecedented Turkish Obstruction just in a Few Days : Soon after the Beginning of December 2018, during the Next CoE's Committee of Ministers' Human Rights Session, (from 8/12/2018), when Ankara seeks to Impose, through the above mentioned Blackmail, its Demand to definitively "Close" those Files on Refugees/IDPs and even Missing persons in Cyprus, even if the relevant ECHR's Judgements have Not Yet been fully implemented.

=> But, what Turkey demands with such a Blackmail on the CoE, simply "is Impossible !", sharply Reacted afterwards CoE's Parliamentary Assembly's (PACE)new Rapporteur on the Execution of ECHR's Judgements, Evangelos Venizelos, an Experienced former Many Times Minister (of Foreign, Economy and Defense, etc), and Deputy Prime Minister from Greece, in Reply to a relevant Question by "Eurofora", earlier in Strasbourg, (See : ...). Venizelos is PACE's Rapporteur on such Key Issues for the Next 2 Years.

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+ As for the New President of PACE, Swiss MEP Liliane Maury Pasquier, (Comp. various earlier Pasquier's Statements to "Eurofora", f.ex. : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/newpacepresidentpasquier.html, etc), after regretting, earlier, for not having been oficially "Informed" yet on that CoE's Committee of Ministers' latest Decision on Turket (Comp. Supra), Reserved her official Reaction for later-on, (See : ...).

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+ Meanwhile, Turkey's relevant Behavior popped up also at anOther ECHR Affair, earlier this week in Strasbourg, when the PanEuropean Court just Decided, Yesterday (Tuesday, 19 November 2018), to Ask Ankara for the Immediate Release friom Prison of the Leader of an Alternative Leftist Party, Demirtas, who has been Jailed for Too Long, even without any Court's Ruling yet :

 - Indeed, the Turkish President, Tayip Erdogan, reportedly declared now Ankara Government's blunt Refusal to Liberate MEP Demirtas, slamming ECHR's relevant Judgement, that he will Not implement, as he said, (See, f.ex.: ..., etc)...

=> But CoE's Head Spokesman, Daniel Holtgen from Germany, clearly Reminded to Turkey the Fact that, according to the ECHR and CoE's basic Treaties, All Member States of the PanEuropean Organisation have undertaken the Basic Commitment to Implement all CoE's Judgements, as reported just Yesterday "AFP" Agency, from France, (the Next CoE's Chair, from May to November 2019).