There are still serious concerns in the Caucasus, both in the wake of the presidential elections in Armenia and in the run-up to those in Azerbaijan, PACE President said.

"I shall be visiting these two countries in July. I shall also try to organize an early visit to Georgia, whose internal political situation is upset by the threats to its national security and sovereignty in Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia," Lluis Maria de Puig said in his opening remarks to PACE summer session.

Commenting on the functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey, he said, "It is normal for people in any democracy to have different ideas and views. The main thing is that disputes are settled by democratic means, in compliance with the Council of Europe's values. I hope that the Turkish institutions will shoulder their responsibilities in this area. But we too have a responsibility, that of providing Turkey with a clear, unequivocal European perspective."