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Ms Meryem GÖKA

Speeches since 2019

25/06/2026 | 11:58:25 Thank you, dear President and colleagues, I would like to thank our rapporteur, Ms Pelin YILIK, for a report that addresses an issue often discussed through statistics, but too rarely through the lens of human dignity. Behind every statistic is a human story. This report reminds us that migrants and refugees frequently arrive in Europe after enduring conflict, persecution, exploitation, dangerous journeys and severe psychological trauma. Yet too often, the barriers they encounter do not end... 24/06/2026 | 20:17:47 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2)   Dear President and Colleagues, This report is not merely about food security. It is about justice and human dignity, and whether the international community is willing to act when starvation becomes a weapon of war. While we discuss food security today, behind every statistic there is a human story: a mother unable to feed her child, a farmer whose land has been destroyed by conflict, a family waiting for humanitarian aid that never arrives... 23/06/2026 | 11:38:41 Thank you, dear President and colleagues, As a founding member of the Council of Europe, Türkiye remains committed to the principles of democracy, pluralism and the rule of law, but we are sick and tired of seeing Türkiye repeatedly judged through the same biased and one-sided narratives. Once again, Türkiye is being viewed through a remarkably narrow lens. As parliamentarians, it's not our responsibility to pass judgment on cases before the courts or to internationalise the internal disputes... 23/04/2026 | 12:27:43 Dear President and colleagues, We are living through a transition. The era of unipolar dominance is over, but a fair, inclusive, and institutionalised multipolar system has not yet emerged. In such an environment sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be treated as diplomatic vocabulary, used when convenient, ignored when uncomfortable. If these principles are to mean anything, they must apply to all. What troubles us today is not only violation but normalisation … the gradual... 22/04/2026 | 11:31:20 Dear President and colleagues, I thank Ms Zita GURMAI for her report. Violence against women remains one of the gravest human rights challenges of our time. It is a global issue that requires collective responsibility. According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, one in three women in the EU experiences violence, one in five suffers from domestic violence and only one in eight cases is reported. These figures point to a systemic failure despite long-standing commitments... 21/04/2026 | 18:17:14 Dear President and colleagues, I want to thank the rapporteur, Mr Francesco VERDUCCI, for this timely report. As someone born in Germany as part of the Turkish diaspora, I know this is not an abstract debate. It's a lived reality. We stand firmly against all forms of intolerance, racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim racism and xenophobia. Freedom of religion is not optional. It is a fundamental right protected under the core international human rights instruments. Yet across Europe... 28/01/2026 | 20:11:51 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2)   Dear President and Colleagues, We hear the word "ceasefire" repeated frequently. Can there truly be a ceasefire when children continue to die? Not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank violence continues and humanitarian access is systematically restricted. As winter sets in infants freeze to death, families are left without shelter, and life-saving assistance including emergency support from Türkiye is deliberately blocked. This is... 26/01/2026 | 17:43:20 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2)   Dear President and Colleagues, We are living through a transition. The era of unipolar dominance is over, but a fair, inclusive, and institutionalized multipolar system has not yet emerged. In such an environment, sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be treated as diplomatic vocabulary, used when convenient, ignored when uncomfortable. Nowhere are double standards more visible than in Gaza. Even genocide may go unpunished, when... 02/10/2025 | 12:14:37 For 727 days, the people of Gaza have faced bombardment, siege, starvation, and mass killing, a genocide unfolding before our eyes. Israel’s far-right fundamentalist government has unleashed hell and destruction with total impunity, collectively punishing an entire people. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has confirmed the highest alarm by confirming famine conditions, Phase 5, inside Gaza. That is truly unbearable. A recent United Nations (UN) Commission of Inquiry... 30/09/2025 | 11:46:57 "Mr President, dear colleagues, I will speak in English this time" [in German]. Firstly, Türkiye is a sovereign democratic state governed by the rule of law, and as we all agree, no one is above the law.  What we see are ongoing legal processes and not political operations. These proceedings, based on opposition members' testimonies and reports on corruption and bribery, are held by independent authorities. The opposition is in a serious turmoil, with reports of even delegate-buying in its...