12/10/2023 | 16:29:15 Thank you, Madam Chair, dear colleagues, the Council of Europe is considered to be a beacon of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Its core mission is to uphold these values among its member states and by doing so, it is supposed to contribute significantly to the prevention of conflicts. But can we state today that the Council of Europe is successful in this mission? The state of turmoil, the lack of peace, and the wars themselves unleashed in the Council of Europe area since at... 10/10/2023 | 16:44:22 Thank you, Madam Chair. Dear colleagues, Today we address the pressing concern that threatens the very foundation of democracy and human rights. Far-right ideology, often characterised by nationalism, xenophobia, and authoritarianism has been on the rise in many parts of the world. This not only threatens the principles of equality and justice, but also undermines the very essence of democracy and human rights that have been hard-fought and cherished for generations. In recent years we have... 22/06/2023 | 19:44:41 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) The previous speakers reflected enough on the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade of Lachin corridor. I will not touch upon that particular topic in my speech. The thing I am going to speak about is the unacceptability of the flagrant disrespect of the Council of Europe member Ssate Azerbaijan towards our Organisation, our rules, towards international organisations, international courts. It is clearly mentioned both in the draft... 21/06/2023 | 17:14:33 Thank you chair, honourable colleagues, I have the honour to present you the opinion of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons on Ms Ada MARRA's report on “Health and social protection of undocumented workers or those in an irregular situation”. The joint debate of today demonstrates the crucial issue of the integration of migrants, refugees and displaced persons in host communities, which is dealt with through different angles by the reports of my colleagues Mr Domagoj... 26/04/2023 | 18:55:10 Thank you. Dear Chair, Dear Colleagues, Over the last several days we have been reflecting on the importance of the implementation of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, which is one of the essential problems of our organisation. In yesterday's discussion, the president of the European Court of Human Rights stated that over the last 60 years, the Court has delivered over 26 000 judgments. However, as of March 2023, more than 6 200 judgments of the Court have not been... 24/01/2023 | 11:05:59 Thank you, Chair. Dear colleagues, First of all, let me mention that we can have only facepalm and nothing more while hearing appraisal of democracy from a representative of one of the most autocratic countries of the world, which is fixed in all the reports of the international organisations. However, let me continue with my speech. Dear colleagues, International humanitarian law protects the dignity of persons involved in armed conflicts, both during their lifetime and after death, and... 21/06/2022 | 10:36:49 Thank you, Mr Chair. Distinguished members of the Assembly, My conclusion from the analysis of different conflicts, and especially from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, is that the key to global security peace is democracy. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has arisen as a human rights issue. At this stage it is still a human rights issue which is being considered, which is being negotiated from one side by a society that is on the path of democracy, which is open, where it is very difficult to... 28/04/2022 | 16:05:27 Thank you, Mister Chair, Dear Colleagues, Democracy is an ultimate value and it is not accidental that the goal and the basis of the creation of the Council of Europe were upholding democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Unfortunately, democracy worldwide is experiencing difficult times. We should join our efforts for its safeguarding. The rapporteurs are right when stating that real democracy must be distinguished from the imitation of democracy, as real democracy envisages not only... 27/04/2022 | 18:30:20 Thank you, Ms Chair. Dear colleagues, One of the tools for combating corruption and organised crime is the confiscation of illicit profits and other criminal assets. But, why is it important to fight corruption and kleptocracy? It's crucial, as in my belief, corruption is a national security threat. It undermines democracy, hollows out the rule of law, having an impact on law enforcement bodies and the judicial systems, affects the state's effectiveness, affects the economic environment... 26/04/2022 | 19:22:43 Thank you, Mister Chair. Dear Colleagues, Earlier today Mr Tiny KOX stated that he sees this platform as an agora rather than an arena. I do share this approach. Unfortunately, sometimes we use this respective platform as a battle field, forgetting the initial idea the Council of Europe is based on: the idea of gathering European nations together to find solutions to common problems, the idea of rebuilding and maintaining peace on a shattered continent, and the idea of upholding human rights...