PACE head starts S Caucasus visit

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) René van der Linden started his visit to the South Caucasus countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia on Wednesday.

Linden will be in Armenia on 4-5 July, Georgia on 5-7 July, and Azerbaijan on 8-10 July. On 7 July, he will visit South Ossetia for meetings in Tskhinvali and Kurta. This will be the PACE President’s second visit to the three countries during his mandate.

“Froze conflicts must be solved,” Linden said on the eve of his visit to last till July 10. He noted that the Council of Europe (CE) attaches great significance to the South Caucasus region and that the issue will be a topic of discussions during his visit.

The PACE President is due to meet the Presidents and leading members of the parliament and government in all three countries, as well as the leaders of different political forces, representatives of civil society and the media, and religious leaders.*