12/10/2022 | 11:07:12 Thank you very much, Mr Minister Thomas BYRNE, for addressing this Assembly and updating us on the preparations for the fourth summit, and updating us on the developments that are taking place under your Presidency. Thank you also very much for answering the questions of our parliamentarians. We wish you well, you still have a quite a long time to go. It's only October. You have October and November, so we are looking forward to continuing our cooperation with you, with Minister Coveney, with... 12/10/2022 | 10:41:06 Thank you very much, Minister Liam BYRNE. Ireland is not only amongst the founding fathers of this organisation but it is also amongst the best friends of this organisation and I thank you very much for, as I said earlier, the hard work and the wisdom and the creativity that you, Minister Simon COVENEY and Mr Joseph O'REILLY and the whole team have delivered until now. You will now answer questions from our members. We first take questions from the representatives of the political groups and... 12/10/2022 | 10:11:14 As our political groups have just ended their Wednesday meetings, we will wait for a minute or two to have to allow them to come into the hemicycle. The sitting is open. I would like to inform the Assembly that in view of the high number of speakers wishing to contribute to the debates later today, our second sitting will now finish at 8:30 p.m. The first item on our business is the communication from the Committee of Ministers to the Assembly. Ladies and Gentlemen, May I now welcome to... 11/10/2022 | 17:57:30 Madam Secretary General, May I thank you all wholeheartedly for answering the questions of our colleagues on so many different issues. You are always with us, so thank you very much for participating in our Parliamentary Assembly and next time you are, again, back on our agendas every part session. Thank you very much. The next item of business this afternoon is the debate on the report titled “Raising awareness of and countering Islamophobia, or anti-Muslim racism, in Europe”. You'll find it... 11/10/2022 | 17:22:39 Thank you very much. That does not change the vote, but it will be registered in our minutes. And to start here as a new member is not the easiest things so you will have years to practice this. Thank you very much for mentioning it. Now on the order of business is questions to our Secretary General Ms Marija PEJČINOVIĆ BURIĆ. She is going to answer the questions of a few colleagues and we start with the questions from the representatives of the political groups. I remind everyone that... 11/10/2022 | 12:45:54 Thank you very much, President Michael D. HIGGINS, for what I would call your grand lecture on the Council of Europe and its place in the multilateral architecture that we all need so direly in these so difficult and challenging times. You have agreed, Mister President, to answer some questions from our Assembly. I would propose that we first take, together, the five questions on behalf of the political groups. If we do not spend too much time, then we can add some other questions. We first... 11/10/2022 | 12:02:01 Thank you so much. Now I shall put the oral amendment to the vote. The vote is open. The vote is closed. I call for the results to be displayed: The oral amendment is adopted. We will now proceed to vote on the draft recommendation contained in Document 15609 as amended. I inform colleagues that a two-thirds majority is required for this recommendation. The vote is open. The vote is closed. The results to be displayed: The recommendation is adopted. Congratulations. (Applause) I interrupt... 11/10/2022 | 12:00:18 Thank you much - sorry but our rules are strict, Madam. So, yes, you withdraw it. We have heard that, indeed, an oral amendment from Mr George PAPANDREOU has been proposed. It reads as follows: "In the draft recommendation paragraph 3 delete the following words: 'bringing together five countries of the region as members and having developed strong cooperation with Kosovo'". The President may accept an oral amendment on the grounds of promoted clarity, accuracy, or conciliation - and if there... 11/10/2022 | 11:58:16 Thank you, Mr Zsolt NÉMETH. Dear colleagues, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy has presented a draft resolution which you find in Document 15609 to which no amendments have been tabled and a draft recommendation to which one written amendment and one oral amendment have been tabled. We now first will proceed to vote on the draft resolution contained in Document 15609 as no amendments have been presented. A simple majority is required. The vote is open. I close the votes. May I... 11/10/2022 | 10:05:36 The sitting is open. Please take your seats, colleagues. I can inform you that as promised yesterday, a joint statement was made by the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, the Secretary General, and the President of the Parliamentary Assembly regarding the atrocities that have taken place yesterday and are taking place today in our member state Ukraine due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. The first item of business this morning is the debate on the report titled “Supporting...