Monday, October 10 2016 15:52

ArmInfo. PACE President Pedro Argamunt said at the opening of PACE Session on October 10, PACE currently faces four existential challenges which create a state of constant upheaval. 

"Firstly, transnational terrorism poses a fundamental and  multi-faceted danger.  The hearts of all citizens that have suffered  terrorist attacks in their societies have been wounded in one of our  principal values: freedom. That is why I want the "freedom to live  without fear" to become one of the main focuses of our work during my  Presidency.

Secondly, the refugee crisis, which has triggered much debate about  European identity and values. Millions of people are heading towards  Europe, on the road to salvation. That is why the refugee crisis is a  test of Europe's ability to reach consensus.

Thirdly, the conflicts still unresolved in Europe. The situation in  Ukraine remains very delicate. The conflict has already taken over 9  000 lives, Russian-backed separatists still control part of the  country and peace remains elusive. Threats to security and frozen  conflicts still exist in the region of Transnistria in the Republic  of Moldova, in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, and in  Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. All of them present a challenge to  Europe's security and complicate efforts to achieve a peaceful  settlement. Do not take peace for granted. We have to work on peace  again and again in each generation.

Lastly, I would like to mention the wave of left and right-wing  populism, rising nationalism and the erosion of democratic principles  and human rights in some places, which affect our cohesion and our  capacity for joint action.

These are issues that dominate our agenda and which have grown more  urgent and which threaten to undo decades of progress towards greater  union, more open borders and closer integration," he said.  The PACE  Session in Strasbourg will end of October 14.