Rinkevics to take part in the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers in Cyprus

RIGA - Today and tomorrow, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics will take part in the 127th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) to be held in Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus, the country currently holding the CoE Chairmanship, BNS was informed by the Foreign Ministry.

The CoE meetings at the ministerial level take place once a year, when representatives from the member states are invited to take stock of the work accomplished and to set future priorities.

This year’s session will focus on challenges related to human rights, the rule of law and democracy in Europe, including as set out in a report prepared by the CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland. A new legal instrument – the Council of Europe Convention on Offences Relating to Cultural Property – will also be opened for signature.

At the conclusion of the session, the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers will be taken over by the Czech Republic for the next six-month term.

The session brings together foreign ministers and other representatives from the Council of Europe’s 47 member states and five observer states – Japan, the United States of America, Canada, Mexico, and the Holy See – as well as the OECD and the European Union.