25/04/2023 | 19:52:56 Thank you very much, Madam President. Dear colleagues, on behalf of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, I wish to thank the rapporteur Ms Ria OOMEN-RUIJTEN for the excellent work you have prepared. I also thank all members of the Parliamentary Assembly and in particular our partners for their valuable contributions to our debate in this hemicycle today. As the rapporteur reminded us, the partnership for democracy was launched by the Parliamentary Assembly in 2009. It became... 25/04/2023 | 16:36:26 Mister President, I'm more than glad that I can now make a statement after my colleague from Norway. I'm from Finland. Obviously we Nordic countries are congratulating our fellow Nordic country, Iceland, and particularly obviously Ms Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð GYLFADÓTTIR, minister for foreign affairs of Iceland, and the whole delegation in the Council of Europe, including the Government of Iceland for organising this Summit, which is obviously a great achievement. We can also see how well and... 26/01/2023 | 19:30:24 Mr President, I would like to start by saying pity, pity, pity. Session after session, we finally, during the final days, we have the discussion about the desperate conflict between two nations –Azeris, Armenians– who have lived centuries close to each other, that there is a war, tensions and problems. That is very pity. Now, we do have the discussion about the potential major blockade of Lachin corridor and total blockade of the Nagorno-Karabakh as a whole. Obviously, if that is fully... 26/01/2023 | 11:32:55 Mr President, We are having here, just now, an exceptionally important discussion on the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Thanks very much, Ms Oleksandra MATVIICHUK, for your very strong, valuable and even emotionally touching speech. Thank you very much indeed. You noted that the war which Russia is carrying out in Ukraine, that Russia has committed many very serious war crimes. You requested us to consider seriously that we need a special international tribunal to address this. I fully... 24/01/2023 | 17:39:43 Madam Chair, President Tiny KOX mentioned that, when opening this issue, that this is the most relevant report. Fourth Summit of this organisation. I do agree. The rapporteur Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN said in her statements at the beginning there are major big challenges in Europe today with we should clearly address at this organisation's level. That is also true. And the report is very very solid and good, I can support it. I have two specific points to address. First, the issue of Kosovo... 13/10/2022 | 17:25:27 Thank you very much, Mister President. On behalf of the committee I would like to congratulate the rapporteur Mr George KATROUGALOS for his report and for having navigated such delicate topic as we have discussed today. We recognise that [there are] many issues related to this issue. Regardless of whether one agrees or not with the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, it was a fundamental change for the political reality in Europe. The report in front of us today... 13/10/2022 | 16:24:10 Dear colleagues, We have had here very tough discussions this week looking at heavy political issues and controversies in the world. And today, we are actually just now, discussing a totally different type of issue where we are looking the human being from inside, issues related to our senses and also principal values which we are carrying like tolerance and acceptance of differences in life. Usually when you are assessing this double situation, political conclusions, I would almost say the... 13/10/2022 | 12:46:21 Thank you very much, Mr President. I will speak on behalf of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy here. First of all, I would like say thanks very much to Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, the rapporteur, for this very, very important report. Earlier this morning, President Volodymyr ZELENSKYY emphasised how the entire international community must play a strong role during the current aggression. This urgent debate, exactly, is a small but significant demonstration that the Assembly intends... 22/06/2022 | 16:05:30 Mister President, this is a bit of an extraordinary situation because I am making a speech in this Hemicycle and it is the first time the speech is not mine. I am an alter ego for Ms Boriana ÅBERG from Sweden. It is an honour, it is a delight that I can give her speech. It is her speech but there is one paragraph I disagree with and I will make a new note about that when we are in that paragraph, otherwise it is her speech. Dear colleagues, I would like to start by paying tribute to the work... 21/06/2022 | 18:39:50 Mister President, It is so nice to speak after Ms Mai KIVELÄ, my country lady. The same country, the same subject. I start in the same way. Mister Frank SCHWABE and Madam Thórhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, thanks very, very much for your excellent and very profound reports on a subject that is very actual and important for all of us today. I am actually just now reading a novel by a Russian writer who is living here in France: Andreï Makine. There is a motto in the novel and the motto is the...