The new chairman of PACE, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, arrived to Ankara on February 1 to held contacts with Turkish leaders regarding vital concerns of Turkey's agenda such as the human rights and a civilian constitution.
Chairman Mevlütoğlu was first received by President Abdullah Gül at Çankaya Palace. The President said the election of a Turkish parliamentarian as the head of PACE is of vital importance in terms of illustrating Turkey's international credibility and multilateral diplomacy that pursues peace and stability in its region.
Mr Çavuşoğlu was later received by Turkey's Parliament Speaker, Mehmet Ali Şahin, where he underscored the importance of human rights.
Çavuşoğlu also said the Council of Europe (COE) attached utmost importance to the improvement of civil authority and considered the issue as one of the basic pillars of democracy.
"Above all things, Turkey needs a new and civilian constitution. This should be realized. We support Turkey's efforts which aim at improving civil authority," Anatolia news agency quoted Çavuşoğlu as saying.
Upon a question of election threshold of 10 percent in Turkey, PACE Chairman said Turkey has the highest threshold according to PACE reports. "We may consider it a high threshold; however it is not a violation of human rights. Each country has its own decision on the matter," he said.
Besides, Chairman Çavuşoğlu highlighted the problem of political representation, saying that every segment of the society should be represented in the Parliament.