24/05/2024 Standing Committee
“In the early 90s, the people of Lithuania called this building the heart of Lithuania. It was here that thousands of Lithuanians gathered to protect our young democracy on the bloody night of 13 January 1991, forming a living human shield against those who sought to reverse our course to independence,” today said Seimas Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen opening the PACE Standing Committee meeting in Vilnius.
Moving forward thirty years to 2022, when I visited the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine just one month after the start of the Russian invasion, I witnessed a strikingly similar setting to what we had in the Seimas in 1991 — sandbags and democracy serving as their primary defence instead of arms. Despite the fighting in the suburbs of Kyiv and the shelling of towns and cities, the Ukrainian Parliament, in an extraordinary demonstration of resilience, continued to function and make crucial decisions for the country,” she added.
“For me, the Verkhovna Rada has come to exemplify the crucial role of parliaments in emergency situations, as we are witnessing today across Europe. I emphasise this point to highlight the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the Council of Europe, its Standing Committee,” the Seimas Speaker underlined.
“We, the parliamentarians, have the power to prompt governments into action where they might otherwise be slow to respond. As representatives of parliaments entrusted with upholding justice, equality, and democratic values, it is imperative that we do everything within our power to address the disturbing trend of reverting to 19th century international politics, where there is no place for justice, the rule of law or human rights,” she concluded.