CoE SG Jagland Wonders What Turkey may Seek by Threats to Reduce its Financial Contribution

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- PanEuropean, 47 Member States-strong CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland, former Norway's Prime Minister, speaking to Journalists in Strasbourg, including "Eurofora", during a Press-point, said that he did not yet know what was the Real Cause, and what Aim was, in fact, seeking Turkey, when it suddenly asked to Reduce its Financial Contribution to the Organisation of Strasbourg.

Curiously, indeed, Ankara's Government, after having asked itself, a few years ago, to be considered among the so-called "Great Payers" of the CoE, (so that there would be More Turkish MEPs in the Organisation's Assembly than in the Past, as it was, indeed, accepted by the CoE, meanwhile), all out of a Sudden, it Changed its mind, and wants Now to Pay Less Money...

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 - "I have received a Letter from (Turkish) Foreign Minister Cavusoglou, that Turkey would DisContinue being a Grand-Payer to the CoE", Jagland confimed officially.

- "We (CoE) have 6 Grand-Payers, together with the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Russian Federation", he reminded.

 - "Now Turkey has conveyed to me that they want to get Back to the Normal Payer" status, (i.e. Pay Less to the CoE), and "we are going to have a Dialogue on this", on "How" and "When" to act. "Until it's done, I cant' say anything more" now.

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 - "All I can say is that the CoE, and particularly the ECHR, Needs all the Financial Support that it can get", especially "Because of the Many Applications coming also from Turkey and others" . "The Court has a need for such Funding", Jagland added, (indirectly, but surely, Pointing at Ankara's Authorities' Resposibilities, given the Fact that, for Years, the Biggest Number of Cases of Human Rights' Violations notoriously use to be Turkish)...

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    - "Do you think that it's a Sign that Turkey doesN't want to Respect its Commitments to the CoE" anymore ?, Jagland was asked.

    - "I have No Signs that the (above-mentioned) Letter is (such) a coup" attempt.... "It's up to the Turkish Government to Explain the contents of this Letter. It's not for me", he Carefully Replied, (apparently, however, Not Excluding Anything)...

     - Nevertheless, "I have received it, and, of course, I shall Try to Understand more of What it Means", CoE's Secretary General promised to Search to Find out.

     - "But", (at least for the Time being), "there is No Sign (yet) that Turkey has the Intention to Withdraw or Reduce its Commitments to the CoE", Jagland Negatively replied, as things stand until now.

    - "And, of course, this Decision will Not Influence at all the Judicial processes, that have already started, and may come in the Future. It will Not at all Influence Any of the Judicial Mechanisms that we (CoE) have on the Country", i.e., Turkey, CoE's Secretary General went on to add. (I.e. Warning Ankara that such Controversial Moves canNot be Exploited in order to eventually Diminish CoE's Monitoring of the situation of Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law nowadays in Turkey)...                                                                                                  
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    Immediately after having, Previously, Asked to become one among the 7 CoE's "Great Payers" (Comp. Supra), Turkey had also asked and got a Considerable Augmentation of the Number of Turkish MEPs inside CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), in Strasbourg.

    To the point that, for the 1st Time in its recent, Post Cold-War History, CoE's PanEuropean Assembly had, in fact, ended up by having a Lot of Turkish MEPs, while, by a Stange Coincidence, it had No More ...Any Russian MEP at all, since a PACE's Controversial but Influential Minority had, meanwhile, also taken a much-Disputed Decision to impose so Harsh "Sanctions" to Moscow, (f.ex. "Freezing" not only Voting, but Even Participation Rights in Top Bodies), that its MEPs were practically pushed to Refuse to Return Back to Strasbourg in such Conditions, unless their Rights were Better Respected.

    The Political Pretext for that Row, between PACE and Russia, was, obviously, the Ukranian Conflict, which has Divided the European Continent since 2014, (See, f.ex. : ... + ..., etc).

    It Resulted, recently, on 2017, by Moscow Goverment's anouncement that it was, at First, Suspending a big Part of its Annual Financial Contribution to the CoE, (2/3), until the elementary Rights of Russian MEPs would be Saveguarded. Moreover, Nowadays, Russia had just officialy anounced that it intends to definitively Cut all its Annual Financial Contribution to the CoE for 2018, for that Same Reason, (See, f.ex. : ...).

    So that Turkey's subsequent (and Different) announcement that it also Intends to Reduce its own  Annual Financial Contribution to the CoE, obviously came at a very Bad Moment for the PanEuropean Organisation.... Particularly when Ankara, Suddenly just Anounced that on ...November, which is, precisely, the Month, during which CoE uses to prepare and decide on its Budget for the Next Year (i.e., now, for 2018) !

     But, Contrary to Russia (Comp. Supra), Turkey's real Political Aim, which might Motivate or serve as a Pretext for such an UnPrecedented Move in Real Practice, is Not Yet officially known...

    What is known, however, is that the Turkish Governments use, too often, to practice various kinds of such "Blackmails" vis a vis not only Other Countries, but also various European or PanEuropean Organisations, (as the EU, CoE, etc), even NATO (f.ex. with an, UnPrecedented then, Institutional Blockade of NATO's 90th Anniversary Summit of 2009 in Strasbourg, see: ...), in order to Attempt to Obtain one or another Political Concession.

    And Ankara's Threat against CoE's Organisation for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, comes just After the EU Governments and MEPs reportedly decided to Cut 100 Million €, and "Freeze" 60 from Turkey's controversial and unpopular, so-called "Pre-Accession" Financial Aid for 2018, (i.e. practically Doubling the Amounts earlier Voted at EU Parliament in Strasbourg since October 2017), Because those Funds concerned mainly Democracy, Human Rights and Rule of Law issues, that the Turkish Authorities are, notoriously, trumpling underfeet, particularly nowadays...