In Strasbourg, Babacan attends CoE meeting

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan yesterday represented Turkey at a Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers meeting in Strasbourg. During the one-day gathering, Sweden took over the rotating presidency from Slovakia for the next six months. The meeting focused on the CoE's contributions to Europe's security and stability. Efforts to strengthen the protection of human rights, cross-cultural dialogue and relations between the CoE and the European Union were also discussed. In addition, Babacan held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Greece, Andorra, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as CoE human rights representatives. Babacan is expected to leave Strasbourg for Slovenia today to attend the 11th Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) European Forum in Ljubljana.