Parliamentary delegations from the member states of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) are gathering in Istanbul, Turkey, for the inauguration of the IV Plenary Session of PAM to be held between 23 and 24 October 2009. Over 200 delegates from Morocco to Lebanon, from Portugal to Turkey, will be adopting resolutions and reports prepared during the 2009 calendar of events by the Standing Committees, the Special Task Forces and the Ad Hoc Committee that met in various Mediterranean cities on topics ranging on climate change, disaster management, terrorism, SMEs, inter-religious dialogue and the Middle East. The calendar of activities for 2010 will also be adopted.
At the inauguration the Plenary Session will be addressed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, followed by a welcome speech by the President of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, H.E. Mehmet Ali Şahin.
During the two day Assembly a number of international guest speakers will be addressing the participants on various issues of interest, while representatives from other Regional Assemblies have confirmed their participation.
On Sunday, 25 October the Secretariat has organized the 1st Meeting of the Secretaries General of the PAM member states, which will be opened by the Secretary General of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, H.E. Ali Osman Koca. During this meeting, activities and ambitions, as well as best practices and lessons learned so far, will feature prominently during the discussions.