24/01/2019 | 15:42:54 In pluralist democracies, the opposition plays a vital role. Opposition members criticise the political party in power with a view to improving national governments and their role is so essential that a democracy without opposition is inconceivable. That said, however, the opposition also needs to adhere to the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Any opposition that does not respect these fundamental principles inflicts irreparable damage on a functioning democracy. In... 23/01/2019 | 19:18:04 I congratulate the rapporteurs. I support the calls made to Member States in the reports and emphasise that we focus on these issues in my country. As mentioned by my colleague Ms Sahiba GAFAROVA, education, employment and improving the social status of people with disabilities are among the priorities of the state. Serious work is being carried out at both legislative and governmental levels. As members know, as a result of Armenia’s occupation of 20% of Azerbaijani territory, thousands of... 23/01/2019 | 11:43:16 We all should be very concerned that fake news is becoming a serious threat to the states and societies of the modern world. Fake news is seriously damaging people, social groups, organisations, and countries, and threatens their activities. The globalisation and commercialisation of fake news are very dangerous. In most cases, fake news is used as a tool for political campaigns. People are exposed to disinformation attacks. A clear strategy should be developed and implemented to avoid... 22/01/2019 | 12:39:07 The increasing trend of populist forces taking a firm grip on the European political landscape has the potential to affect political and public discourse on important and urgent issues, and shift popular feelings in other continents. The Secretary General, in his report on the state of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, placed particular emphasis on that dangerous trend and called on member states actively to resist the drift towards a situation in which populism is tolerable and... 21/01/2019 | 19:11:29 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) First of all, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur on having prepared this high-level report on a very important topic, and I support this document. All member States should further enhance their work in the direction of the education and employment of persons with disabilities. First of all, the support programmes for the education of persons with disabilities should be strengthened to support their professional development at a high...