Minister of Foreign Affairs prof. dr Srđan Darmanović spoke today at the online Ministerial Conference of the Council of Europe, which is being held under the current Greek presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
"The head of Montenegrin diplomacy pointed out the importance of organizing the conference, especially bearing in mind that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is also the foundation of the European Court of Human Rights. On this occasion, Darmanović once again said that " "Montenegro, as a true part of Europe, is a strong partner of the Convention and the Court of Human Rights," says the announcement.
As he pointed out, "in challenging times, when the world is facing a global pandemic and all its consequences, it is of crucial importance to preserve a wide range of human rights and their key postulates. "Recent circumstances have tested our democratic systems, therefore we must not allow the pandemic becomes an excuse for jeopardizing the principles we promote and for which we have fought for decades," said Darmanović.
As added in the announcement, "speaking about one of the basic principles - freedom of speech, Darmanović pointed out that Montenegro appreciates the establishment of the Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists, with the assessment that it is necessary to ensure the freedom of the media and space for their safe functioning. He pointed out that the emphasis in the coming period must be placed on more energetically addressing the problems of racism, xenophobia and hate speech".
"The world will somehow recover from the COVID-19 virus. The question is whether we will recover and succeed in our intention to be better. That is why it is important to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the human rights system, that is, the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights," concluded Darmanović.
He congratulated Greece on its successful presidency, at the same time expressing his support for Germany as the next chairman of the Council of Europe, the statement concluded.
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