20/06/2023 | 14:45:02 The sitting is open. We did begin our sitting today with a performance of the Volny Choir from Belarus. Sorry for the fact that we are now delayed a bit, but flash mobs do not appear on scheduled times. That is the secret of a flash mob. I want to thank the choir for its performance, and I hope, indeed, that while we are also going to the reception of the Secretary General we also will be able to attend their performance here in Strasbourg. There has been a change to the proposed membership... 20/06/2023 | 14:27:36 Dear colleagues, Dear friends, The Volny Chor, which we see here in front of us, emerged from the rallies organised by the musicians of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Orchestra in August 2020. They arranged flash mobs at the largest shopping malls, took part in outdoor concerts in different neighbourhoods of Minsk, and all of this at the costs sometimes of their freedom, which forced them into immigration and resistance from the outside. In spite of all the difficulties that these... 20/06/2023 | 14:26:15 Ladies and Gentlemen, Please be seated. Ladies and Gentlemen, We are gathered in this hemicycle just before our afternoon debates to hear an artistic performance by the Volny Chor, a group of artists resisting the authoritarian regime in Belarus. Our Parliamentary Assembly has always supported civil society, and in particular Belarusian civil society, in its struggle for greater freedoms. We are, therefore, committed to intensifying this engagement with democratic political forces in... 19/06/2023 | 16:33:27 Thank you very much, dear Ms Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ, Madam Secretary General. I now have to interrupt the list of questions. May I thank you again for your fruitful dialogue with our Assembly and we are looking forward to seeing you next time in this hemicycle. Thank you very much. We now will hear the address by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Mr Péter SZIJJÁRTÓ. After this address, Mister Minister will take questions from the floor. Mister Minister, may I say welcome... 19/06/2023 | 16:03:01 Thank you very much, Mr Frank SCHWABE. That concludes the debate. The Bureau has proposed references to the committees for ratification by the Assembly. [They are set out in Doc. 15791 and Addendum 2]. Is there any objection to the proposed references to committees? I don't see any. The references are approved. I now propose that the other decisions in the Progress Report be ratified. Are there any objections? I do not see any. They are approved. And that brings us to the next item on... 19/06/2023 | 14:56:36 Thank you very much, Mr Ruben RUBINYAN. Is there anybody who wishes to speak on behalf of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons? A representative of the Bureau? I do not see any. The Bureau is in favour, as I told you. We now shall vote on the request for urgent procedure. The decision requires a two-thirds majority. Is that correct? Those who are in favour of holding this urgent procedure debate should vote "Yes". Those who are against holding such a debate should vote... 19/06/2023 | 14:50:28 Our agenda this week includes an urgent debate on the very worrying situation in the Lachin Corridor, where tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains high. As a consequence, people who depend on the accessibility of this Corridor are under extremely heavy pressure. We will hold our regular exchange of views with the President of the Committee of Ministers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs, who will assume the post of President of his country next month. We... 19/06/2023 | 14:47:05 Now for the good news. This session is the first after the truly historic Reykjavík Summit in mid-May, which brought together the leaders of almost all our member States, and led to the Reykjavík Declaration. This declaration, which you should all read carefully and bear in mind at all times, will serve as an ambitious and forward-looking agenda for the whole of the Council of Europe, including our Assembly. Dear colleagues, I am proud of the fact that many of the decisions taken in Reykjavík... 19/06/2023 | 14:41:56 The sitting is open. I declare the Third Part-Session of the 2023 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe open. Can I remind all members that they should be sitting in their designated seat. For the first time ever we are seated in political groups, so if there are any questions there is a place for you to sit, nobody will be left behind. And let's see at the end of this week how this system is functioning. Madam Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General... 28/04/2023 | 12:11:03 Our next business is to consider the changes proposed in the membership of committees. They are set out in Document Commissions (2023) 04 Addendum 2. Are the proposed changes in the membership of the Assembly’s committees agreed to? I don't see any objection. They are agreed to. The next item on this morning’s Agenda is the continuation of the debate on the Progress Report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee (Doc. 15745, Addendum 3). At its meeting this morning, the Bureau has proposed...