Our priority is Ukraine – newly elected Council of Europe secretary general

The newly elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has said that supporting Ukraine will be his priority.

As reported by the Ukrinform news agency, the Swiss politician and former president of the Swiss Confederation made this statement after the election results were announced.

"Our main priority – and we all understand why – is Ukraine. And when we are talking about Ukraine, we are talking not just about the country, we are talking about Ukrainians. We are talking about their children, and the Council of Europe is very actively involved in all these issues," Berset said.

He expressed his intention to initiate discussions as soon as possible at the level of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Committee of Ministers and to prepare proposals on all aspects of support.

"We must act quickly both with regard to the compensation mechanism and the Register of Damage [Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine] and with regard to strengthening the protection of Ukraine. We are aware that we must comply with our obligations, and I promise to be devoted to this cause," Berset stressed.

On Tuesday, 25 June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elected Alain Berset, a Swiss politician and former president of the Swiss Confederation, as the organisation's new Secretary General.

Berset was elected in the second round of voting, gaining the minimum required 121 votes of PACE delegates.

Three candidates were running for the post: Alain Berset, Indrek Saar, former Estonian Minister of Culture, and Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice.

Reynders took an official leave of absence from the European Commission to participate in the current elections.