130th Session of the Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe in the framework of the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe - Celebratory Event to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The heart of the Council of Europe will be beating in Athens tomorrow, as the 130th Session of the Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Council of Europe member states will be held in the context of the Greek Chairmanship of the Council, focusing on the pandemic and human rights.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will deliver a welcome address during the Session, which will open at 10:00 am with a speech by the Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Mr Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, to be broadcast live via the official website of the Greek Chairmanship,
https://coegreekchairmanship2020.gov.gr/social-media/
and its official social media accounts,
https://www.facebook.com/coegreekchairmanship2020/live/ and
https://www.youtube.com/c/GreekChairmanshipCouncilofEurope/.
The Session of the Council of Ministers in Athens will be attended in person by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mrs Marija Pejčinović Burić, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mr Robert Spano, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Rik Daems, and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Dunja Mijatović. Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe will be participating via video conference.
During the Session, a Declaration on the protection of democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the context of a pandemic is expected to be published, and the founding of a History Observatory will be announced.
Following the conclusion of the Session of the Council of Ministers, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić will make joint statements to the news media at about 13:30 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 7th floor, 1 Akadimias St., Athens).
Subsequently, at 6 pm, a celebratory event marking the 70th anniversary of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) will be held in the context of the Greek Chairmanship at the Hellenic Parliament (Senate Hall). The keynote speaker at the event will be the President of the Republic, Mrs Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
The event will also be attended by the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr Konstantinos Tasoulas, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, MP and Chairperson of the Greek Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mrs Dora Bakoyannis, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mrs Marija Pejčinović Burić, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Mr Róbert Spanó, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Rik Daems, and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Dunja Mijatović.
The event will be broadcast live by the tv channel of the Hellenic Parliament and WebTV-3 of the Hellenic Parliament, offering Greek, English and French language options:
https://parltv.live.grnet.gr/webtv/#!pid=webtv3
November 3, 2020