The Council of Europe has addressed with the Turkish partners the prospects for enhanced academic cooperation on the Council of Europe's conventions.
Professor Michele Nicoletti, former President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly and coordinator of the feasibility study for Council of Europe Academic Networks, has paid a visit to Ankara and Istanbul to discuss the concept of Pan-European academic cooperation with the members of Turkish government and leading scholars.
Meetings were held with Deputy Minister of Justice Cengiz Öner, Acting Chairman of the Council of Higher Education, Professor Rahmi Er, Deputy Minister of National Education Reha Denemeç, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Faruk Kaymakcı and the head of the Turkish delegation to PACE Akif Çağatay Kılıç.
All interlocutors supported the idea that stronger Pan-European academic cooperation is needed to ensure greater unity between European states and better commitment to the Council of Europe values.
These meetings have followed the similar ones recently held in London and Moscow. Professor Nicoletti will pursue his contacts with European governments and leading universities with a view to exploring modalities of the future academic networks.
The pilot phase of the project is expected to focus on the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (“the Oviedo Convention”) and the activities under the Partial Agreement on the Group of States against Corruption (“the GRECO”). The project will progressively cover other conventions of the Council of Europe.
