27/06/2024 | 10:26:31 Mister President, With the political crisis in Georgia intensifying, the urgency for constructive and open dialogue becomes more apparent. Following the recommendations of the rapporteurs, it is important that the Parliamentary Assembly strongly expresses its deep concern about the recent developments in Georgia. These developments raise questions about the country's commitment to international democratic norms and Euro-Atlantic integration, and put into question Georgia’s willingness to... 26/06/2024 | 12:31:53 I want to start by thanking all the rapporteurs for their valuable and important work. All three reports deserve further debate and attention. But given the limited time I have for this debate I would like to focus on the excellent report of my dear colleague Ms Yevheniia KRAVCHUK on "Countering the erasure of cultural identity in war and peace". Cultural cleansing is increasingly used by Russia as a weapon of war in Ukraine to deny the existence of a rich-tasting cultural identity and erase... 25/01/2024 | 12:07:33 Madam President, Madam Foreign Minister, No nations have more at stake in international organisations functioning successfully than their smaller members, and that was wisely said by the Icelandic Prime Minister in the spring of 1950, when Iceland became a member of the Council of Europe. Since then, we have further learned that smaller nations are often more successful in providing true leadership in challenging and trying times, gaining trust and unifying nations, small and large, behind... 25/01/2024 | 11:04:07 Mr President, It is of uttermost importance to facilitate and take effective action to help locate and secure the safe return of deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children to their families. Furthermore, we also need to put focus on the well-being of Ukrainian children hosted in our member states and provide them with necessary assistance, such as access to good healthcare and education, including within Ukraine itself. There is an urgent need to facilitate the co-ordination between... 24/01/2024 | 18:04:14 Mister President, Today this institution, the Council of Europe, our Assembly, is choosing between Azerbaijan's credentials and its own. Because if we allow ourselves to be separated from our rules, our obligations, our commitments to protecting human rights in our own member states, we collectively undermine and lose all credibility. Some say - and rightly - that we need to continue the dialogue. This is not the end of a dialogue with Azerbaijan. It is the beginning of a firm dialogue which... 27/04/2023 | 16:11:55 Mister President, Ms ZELENSKA, First Lady of Ukraine. This debate is of utmost concern: the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, evidence has been collected about core international crimes committed against Ukrainian children and it is important to take note that the possible transfer and deportation civilians, including children, can be prosecuted as a war crime and as a crime against humanity. This practice not only... 24/04/2023 | 15:34:15 Mister President, our Parliamentary Assembly has been faced with extraordinary circumstances during the last 14 months. We have responded strongly and in unity to the dark alleys that the illegal invasion of Ukraine has brought on Europe. Swift actions were taken towards expelling Russia from the Council of Europe on the initiative of our Parliamentary Assembly. The lead our Parliamentary Assembly has taken in its capacity to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people has been crucial and of... 27/01/2023 | 10:19:30 Madam President, I would like to start by thanking the rapporteur for his report and for bringing these vital discussions to the Assembly. It is of utmost importance that this Assembly in the strongest manner calls for the universal recognition that fully autonomous lethal weapon systems that select targets and eliminate them without meaningful human control can never comply with international humanitarian and human rights laws and are therefore prohibited by international law as it stands... 25/01/2023 | 13:06:46 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Mr. President I welcome this timely and excellent report on the environmental impact of armed conflicts and the comprehensive, sharp, and convincing argumentation for taking strong actions against the crime of ecocide and building more effective legally binding instruments so that those committing the crimes can be held accountable. It stands to show the outstanding work by our rapporteur, Mr. John Howell, and is put forth at a moment in... 24/01/2023 | 16:49:26 Mr President, I would like to start by using the opportunity to thank the rapporteur, Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, for an excellent report on the Reykjavik Summit. The invasion by Russia into Ukraine has brought Europe together more than ever before to take charge of its own future. It has forced us to multilaterally choose our best path together for the future of our countries, people, and our ecosystems on which our continued existence is built. It has brought us together to fight unilateralists...