As delivered by Ambassador Dan Baer
to the Permanent Council, Vienna
December 19, 2013
The United States warmly welcomes both of you, Secretary General Akinci and Secretary General Asanov, to the Permanent Council. We thank you for your remarks.
We look forward to cooperating with the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries in a common effort to promote peace and comprehensive security in our region and the world. Particularly important to the region’s peaceful development are our efforts to advance the basic principles of democracy, respect for human rights, rule of law, and good governance. As these are among the objectives which your organizations have identified as guiding your work, going forward we would be particularly interested in how you assess member states to help them identify gaps in areas such as freedom of association, media freedom and good governance, as well as practical actions you take to help them advance these goals.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
