15/03/2022 | 09:41:07 The sitting is open. Please take your seats. Here in the hemicycle, may I remember members that it is a requirement for everyone here to wear a mask, but this may be removed when taking the floor. I remind members taking part remotely that they should take part in proceedings from a quiet location, and should not speak from cars, trains, or other modes of transport in order to ensure good communication. We now move to the Debate under urgent procedure on Consequences of the Russian Federation... 14/03/2022 | 18:06:28 Thank you very much, Madam Secretary General. And thank you very much for the fact that you answered our questions. Many questions remain, many answers still to have to be given, but you made it clear that one answer to many questions is already there. That is: stop the war and stop it now. Tomorrow we are going to debate all day. There will be, as I said, a record number of speakers in that debate. I'm looking forward to it. I thank the Secretary General, the Chair of the Committee of... 14/03/2022 | 18:00:33 Thank you, Ms Nicole DURANTON. And now, the very last question of today will be brought by Ms Marta GRANDE, from Italy as at 6 o'clock the political groups have to start their meetings. Ms Marta GRANDE, you have the floor. I cannot hear you. Are you muted? Please, try again, we do not hear you. Can we solve the problem? You are still muted. This does not work, Marta, and this is a big pity because you also tried in the Bureau to ask a question to the Secretary General. Give it one more try... 14/03/2022 | 17:21:58 Thank you very much, Mr Undersecretary. For all, underlining once again that decision that we will prepare tomorrow and finally decide tomorrow evening will be of relevance for the final decision to be taken by your Committee of Ministers. May I thank you for the cooperation until now, and we will stay in touch together with you and the Secretary General. Now I would like, and I'm sorry for those who are on the speakers list but could not take the floor because we are running out of time... 14/03/2022 | 16:44:28 Thank you very much Mr Undersecretary for briefing our Assembly. The applause may show that we really appreciate that. As I said at the beginning of this Session, our Session has two covenants. Today is the moment to gather information. Tomorrow is the moment to discuss, to debate, and to decide upon the information that we received. I'm grateful for the information we got from the Prime Minister of Ukraine and your information, Mr Undersecretary, and later we will get the information from... 14/03/2022 | 16:19:27 Thank you very much, Mister Prime Minister. This Assembly is not used to loud applause. Therefore, I think you can take the unanimous applause of this Assembly as a sign of our support for the Government of Ukraine, its authorities, and especially the citizens of your now beleaguered country. I thank you from the bottom of my heart that you took the time to preview under very difficult circumstances as we are all aware, about what is happening in Ukraine. The need for international solidarity... 14/03/2022 | 16:07:46 The sitting is open. As we agreed earlier this morning, we will now hear an address by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Mr Denys SHMYHAL. Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, As you know, unfortunately, his Excellency President Zelenskyy had to cancel his intervention to this Assembly this morning due to urgent unforeseen circumstances and asked the Prime Minister of Ukraine to speak on his behalf. I'm grateful that the Prime Minister was able and willing to listen to the request of his... 14/03/2022 | 11:52:40 Now, the first item on the agenda is the examination of credentials of new members. The names of new representatives and substitutes are in Doc. 15473. If no credentials are challenged, the credentials will be ratified. Are any credentials challenged? That is not the case. Therefore, I declare that the credentials set out in Doc 15473 are ratified. Then I welcome our new colleagues. The next item on the Agenda is to consider the changes proposed in the membership of the Assembly’s... 14/03/2022 | 11:43:54 Dear colleagues, By illegally crossing the Ukrainian border, the Russian Federation also crossed the red line of this organisation, which the Council of Europe formulated already in 1949 in its Statute. Articles 1 and 3 make it obligatory that every member State of the Council of Europe must collaborate sincerely and effectively in the realisation of the aim of the Council of Europe, which is to achieve greater unity among the members for the purpose of safeguarding the ideals and principles... 14/03/2022 | 11:40:55 I declare open the Special Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Madam Secretary General, Mr Deputy Secretary General Madam Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mr President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to welcome you to the chamber and online at this special session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In the early hours of 24 February...