23/01/2024 | 19:33:41 Thank you, dear colleagues, Thank you, dear friends, Today I would like to present my opinion, which actually should be presented by Mr Tural Ganjaliyev on behalf of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy. But unfortunately Mr Ganjaliyev could not attend our session today. I'm like the vice president presenting his opinion, like a rapporteur for opinion. The report prepared by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons focuses on the exploitation and manipulation of... 22/01/2024 | 12:27:36 Now we are going to the other item, which will probably show our possible expression of our political will. In the next item on the agenda is the elections for the President of the Assembly. I have received one candidature: that of Mr Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS, member of the Greek delegation and Vice-President of the Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD). The names of those members who have signed their support for his candidacy are contained in Document AS/Inf (2024) 03. Looking at the... 22/01/2024 | 12:24:58 Thank you, Mister Frank SCHWABE. So, you challenge the credentials of the Azerbaijan delegation on substantive grounds. Yes? On substantive grounds? Under Rule 8, your challenge must be supported by at least 30 members from at least five national delegations present now in the Chamber. Would those members supporting this challenge please rise in their places and remain standing while we check whether the requirement is met? Thank you, colleagues. I have just been informed by the Secretariat... 22/01/2024 | 12:21:17 Thank you, dear friend Mr Ian LIDDELL-GRAINGER. Now I should remind the Assembly that under Rule No. 7, a challenge must be supported by at least ten members of our great Assembly, from at least five national delegations present in the Chamber. Would those members supporting these challenges please rise in their places and remain standing while we check whether the requirement is met. We need to do that. We need five delegations and ten members or more. I'm sorry for keeping you. I would like... 22/01/2024 | 12:09:17 Dear friends, Oh, I see people are still coming in. If you allow me we will start our procedures, looking at the time... And I see that we are in the proper mood. It is extremely nice to congratulate you after the New Year, and for those who did not receive our congratulations on postcards, from our hearts to your hearts we send our best in the New Year. And I am especially very glad that we have together the Secretary General next to me and of course our key instrument in our parliamentary... 13/10/2023 | 10:29:37 Thank you, Madam Chair. Dear friends, we are facing an incredible change in the Russian Federation. We cannot say that we never have trust in democracy. I was among the people in the 1990s making negotiations with Russia, with the Soviet Union, and with Boris Yeltsin. Two entities, the Soviet Union and Gorbachev, a so-called reformer, he was responsible for bloodshed in Tbilisi and Vilnius. Mr Yeltsin was trying to restore first steps, uncertain steps, towards democracy. I remember in Moscow... 12/10/2023 | 17:11:18 Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, Ms Ingjerd SCHOU. remember our first resolution here after 24 February. We were battling here about the first phrase, and now it looks like an anecdote. Our first phrase in the first resolution was "to have all support or to have only humanitarian support" to Ukraine. If you remember the debate? Finally, the debate ended "with the full support". It was the first resolution after 24 February. How big was the way we went from this first debate to the true reality... 11/10/2023 | 16:35:10 Dear Speaker, dear friends, I've just come from my parliament. Just yesterday they voted in favour, seven fractions of Lithuanian Parliament unanimously, of the declaration to support Israeli's right to defend themselves. We are in front of horrors that are echoes to the Second World War. Israeli society is composed of survivors of the Holocaust, and one of survivors is in the Gaza strip now captive. Now, trying to understand how to react to this war declared by a terrorist organisation, I... 22/06/2023 | 17:13:24 "Dear Friends," [said in French] Dear Friends and colleagues, I have been here since 1993 just when it was celebrated. Thank you for the participation, 30 years of Lithuanian membership in the Council of Europe, Estonian membership of the Council of Europe and Slovenian membership of the Council of Europe. I remember the entry of Russia in 1996. Among their obligations was to withdraw Russia's 14th Guards Army from Moldova, to pay compensation for the Baltic peoples deported to Siberia and... 22/06/2023 | 16:08:11 "Thank you very much, Mister President. Dear friends," [said in French] I would like to say that today we are facing 500 days that we have been witnessing Russia's illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. Five-hundred days that Ukrainians have been defending the values of Europe, not only on the frontline, Mister President, but by voting inside of their parliament. The Istanbul Convention passed through. The other extremely important conventions and bills are approved by the...