The Secretary General of the Council of Europe has accepted the offer of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to second ambassador Frøysnes to be the Secretary General's Special Representative and Director of the Brussels Office of the Council of Europe.
Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. Jonas Gahr Støre, says the secondment of an experienced diplomat like M. Frøysnes is another sign of the priority his government attaches to human rights.
Norway has already taken the initiative to establish a trust fund for human rights managed by the Council of Europe.
M. Støre also emphasizes the importance of the cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in the new democracies in the Balkans, the South Caucasus as well as Ukraine and Moldova who are all members of the Council of Europe, but not of the EU. The EU, Norway and a number of other countries provide considerable support to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in these countries.
M. Støre adds that the position as the Secretary General's Special Representative is set to play an important role in the implementation at the practical level of the cooperation agreement of 2007 between the EU and the Council of Europe. M. Frøysnes takes up his new functions 17 September 2008.