16/04/2024 | 20:09:41 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Thank you Mr. president First I would like to express great joy and satisfaction on the fact, that we now are coming very close to a situation where we can welcome a new state in the Council of Europe. That is a strong signal that the Council of Europe is a timely and living organization that reflects and incorporates nowadays realities and prepare for the future. Having Kosovo in our family of countries in the Council of Europe has for... 16/04/2024 | 16:10:45 Thank you, Mister President. Dear colleagues, Russia's unacceptable and aggressive war against Ukraine has, unfortunately, now lasted for two years: two years of unimaginable suffering for Ukrainian people who are still defending their country and their culture with incredible fighting spirit and strength. Unfortunately, we are now also experiencing in some places a waning interest in the war. Other conflicts arise and take attention. Even though the war constantly affects the development of... 25/01/2024 | 19:46:37 Thank you very much, dear colleagues and thanks for the very, very positive reception of my and also Mr Stefan SCHENNACH's report. Just a few remarks, Mr Stefan SCHENNACH said what has to be said about Julian Assange and his case. It is mentioned in my report, but also I will support the amendment, putting it into the resolution. To Mr László TOROCZKAI from Hungary, I just want to say you would like this resolution also to talk about the power of social media. This is not for this report. In... 25/01/2024 | 18:09:55 Thank you very much Mister President, dear colleagues, Following more than one year of discussion and exchanges of use with partners and experts and preparation in the culture committee and after the adoption of the culture committee on Monday 4 December 2023 of my report, we now reach the last step with this debate in plenary. It also marks the end of my two-year term as a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe rapporteur on media freedom and safety of journalists. The title of my... 24/01/2024 | 18:16:10 Thank you very much, Mister President, and thank you very much colleagues, for your, I think quite clear interventions in the debate, but also for your major support of the conclusions of this report. I think Mr Paul GAVAN said it quite clearly and shortly. Yes, this is sad. It is sad that we – for one year – will miss the Azerbaijan delegation in our Assembly, but it is necessary. And, I think, just a few numbers from my report again underline this. I have counted at least during the last... 24/01/2024 | 17:36:11 Mister President, Dear colleagues, On Monday here in the Assembly chamber, our colleague Mr Frank SCHWABE, along with more than 30 members of the Assembly, challenged the still unratified credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation on substantive grounds, on the basis of Article 8 of the Rules of Procedure of our Assembly. He cited, among other things, political prisoners in the country, the violent displacement of people from Nagorno-Karabakh, cases of lack of co-operation with the Assembly's... 11/10/2023 | 20:02:41 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Thank you Mr. President Dear colleagues It has already been a long debate, and of course it has, because it is an incomprehensible brutal terrorist attack that HAMAS has carried out against the Israeli people. In the debate, some tries to justify why they happen. But dear colleagues - there IS no justification for terror, murder and kidnapping. And we have to say clearly to HAMAS that with their actions they are committing a crime against... 26/01/2023 | 12:58:40 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Mr. President, dear colleagues, First of all, many thanks to Mr. Cottier for a very precise text that sends an unequivocal and clear signal, that the acts of aggression committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine without doubt meets the definition of the crime of aggression under international law. And therefore the Russian political and military leaders responsible must be identified and prosecuted. To do so it is needed that we call... 25/01/2023 | 20:09:26 Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2 Mr. President, dear colleages, First of all, let me congratulate Ms Gurmai, Ms Stienen and Ms De Boer on the 3 reports, which individually and together provide a very solid basis for the Council of Europe's work to strengthen women's rights and stop gender-based violence. There is no doubt that the Istanbul Convention, remains the best international framework for protecting women from gender-based violence and preventing domestic violence. In... 27/04/2022 | 11:24:27 Thank you, Madam President. Dear Colleagues, Thank you for giving me the possibility to talk. I will be short. I would like to thank our rapporteur for this report, which in itself when adopted is another and again confirmed clear signal to the warlord Putin that a unified Europe, also in this Assembly, in the strongest possible terms, condemns the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine. We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and the brave Ukrainian people and underline our unwavering...