Members of parliament, including Presidents of national parliaments from the Mediterranean region, as well as representatives from International Organizations and Civil Society will convene at the 4th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean on 23-24 October 2009. The event is hosted by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The opening ceremony will be addressed by H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey. This session represents the fruit of more than 17 years of collaboration and dialogue on issues of mutual concern.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean has established itself as the central platform for parliamentary diplomacy in the Mediterranean. When referring to the region, many have chosen to speak about pre-existing differences, yet the area represents a unique experience of similarities, common history and overlapping cultures, sometimes seen from different perspectives giving differing point of views.
The Plenary Session is the final activity on the Assembly’s calendar for 2009. Reports and resolutions prepared by the Rapporteurs of PAM’s Special Task Forces and Ad Hoc Committees on issues ranging from the Middle East, the environment, migration and terrorism will be presented for final adoption following their endorsement at the 4th meeting of the Standing Committees in Lisbon in June.
The Assembly will be enriched by the interventions of a number of key speakers, who will share their experiences on topics of particular interest to the Mediterranean region. These include Mrs. Karen AbuZayd, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and Dr. Sima S. Bahous, Assistant Secretary General of the League of Arab States.
On 25 October, immediately following the closing of the Plenary Session, there will also be the 1st meeting of the Secretaries General of the PAM Member Assemblies. This meeting will bring together the Secretaries General of member parliaments to discuss the best ways and means to
support the initiatives of PAM at the national level. The participants will be addressed by Mr. Wojciech Sawicki, Director General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Istanbul will be another occasion where cultures will meet to inject further ideas, proposals and solutions aimed at using parliamentary diplomacy to establish peace and prosperity for all citizens of the Mediterranean.