Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues,
In this part-session, we shall be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, a world conflict which claimed more than 18 million lives and 20 million wounded, among both civilians and the military. It was a conflict which led to combats of unprecedented violence, giving rise to the unspeakable horrors of a total war at global level.
However, it took a Second World War, even more deadly and destructive than the first, for us to understand that it was not enough to win a battle – or even to win the war – in order to ensure peace. What is needed most of all, is to build peace together – between the vanquished and the victorious – and to build this peace on solid foundations. It was from this idea that the Council of Europe was born.
Today, while we are commemorating the tragic events of the beginning of the last century, I cannot help wonder whether we have learned the lessons of history.
At our last part-session, we were obliged to react firmly to the violation by one of our member states of its commitments and obligations towards the Council of Europe. However, by adopting sanctions against the Russian Federation, we did not wish to close the door to dialogue. Clearly, it is by working together that we will be able to find a solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
Nonetheless, the situation does not appear to be improving. In recent weeks, we have seen, with great concern, an escalation of violence. We discussed the situation in Ukraine and on the borders of Ukraine, at the meeting of the Presidential Committee in Luxembourg, calling on all parties to put an end to the violence and, as a matter of urgency, to initiate broad national dialogue.
For my part, during the 124th ministerial session in Vienna, I spoke briefly with the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Lavrov. More recently, I had a long telephone conversation with the Speaker of the State Duma, Mr Naryshkin, and with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Mr Turchynov.
My message is clear: given the escalation of violence, the first priority is to put a halt to the confrontations and we must all help bring this about by fully shouldering our responsibilities.
Let us be honest: a de-escalation presupposes not only a withdrawal of Russian troops from the border and a resumption of political and diplomatic contacts between both countries – as has been the case – but also taking appropriate measures to ensure that the separatists in eastern Ukraine receive no military or other support from outside. I am deeply alarmed by reports of the transfer to the rebels of heavy military equipment, including tanks which have apparently crossed the Ukrainian border from the Russian side.
At the same time, in order to make room for dialogue, the Ukrainian armed forces must halt their military operations, which have already claimed too many victims, both military and civilian. The humanitarian situation in the areas affected by the conflict is overwhelming: there are reports of thousands of refugees and displaced persons, of abductions and hostage-taking of children and OSCE observers, and of threats against the lives of journalists.
There is an urgent need to stop the violence and find answers to the humanitarian problems. In addition, the main players must face up to their political responsibilities, show restraint and avoid all provocation.
In this context, the recent proposals from the President of Ukraine, Mr Petro Poroshenko, in particular to establish a cease-fire, declare an amnesty and initiate constitutional reform all give genuine cause for hope.
Following the election of Mr Poroshenko with a very large majority and a high turnout, in voting which took place in conformity with our standards, I am convinced that we have a real opportunity to begin a process of normalisation in Ukraine, and in relations between Russia and Ukraine. It is therefore essential to implement the Ukrainian President's initiatives as swiftly as possible, including in the field of political and institutional reform. The Ukrainian authorities can count on our support.
In the telephone conversation I had with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada last Thursday, I repeated our invitation to the President of Ukraine to address the Assembly during this part-session. To my great satisfaction, the President has agreed to come on Thursday. I am convinced that our exchange of views will enable us to identify concrete areas of co-operation. The holding of a current affairs debate on the political and humanitarian consequences of the crisis in Ukraine, as proposed by the Chairs of all the political groups, also gives us an opportunity to examine the situation in all its complexity and to identify possible reactions.
For our part, the Assembly should also play its role as a platform for dialogue. In my recent telephone conversation with Mr Naryshkin, Speaker of the State Duma, I expressed my regret that the Russian delegation had decided not to take part in the Assembly's activities. We spoke at length about what could be done to change this situation. I have to admit that we made no progress, but we agreed to keep in touch and, possibly, have a face-to-face meeting. I feel it is very important to pursue these contacts and I hope that we shall soon reach a solution.
Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
The crisis in and around Ukraine should not divert our attention from other member states which need our support. This is, in particular, the case of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova as well as Cyprus, which all have to deal with the difficult issues of resolving frozen conflicts on their territories. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is one of our fundamental principles. Independence and secession of a regional territory from a state may only be achieved through a lawful and peaceful process; not in the wake of an armed conflict leading to the de facto annexation of such a territory by another state.
In this context, I am concerned about calls in the regions of Abkhazia, Georgia, as well as in Transnistria, Republic of Moldova, about joining the Russian Federation. The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation has created a dangerous precedent, but we must all join efforts in order to prevent this from happening again. Many of our member states have developed their own valuable experiences in conflict resolution which we could effectively use. In particular, speaking at the end of my recent visit to Dublin, I urged the Irish authorities and the parliamentarians to use the experience from their country's own troubled history, to help solve some of Europe's ongoing conflicts.
We are also monitoring the conflicts in the neighbourhood region with great concern. The situation in Iraq is extremely worrying, and I endorse the Political Affairs Committee's idea of discussing this issue and, possibly, proposing a draft declaration for the Bureau, to be examined on Friday.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,
Supporting member states to implement their obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe is one of the priorities of my mandate as President of the Assembly.
Azerbaijan, the country that is currently chairing the Committee of Ministers, needs our support today more than ever, because it must carry out large scale reforms in order to fulfil its commitments and obligations. During the Standing Committee meeting in Baku, I had the opportunity to address, in a frank and open manner, our key concerns, especially in the fields of freedom of expression, freedom of association, independence of the judiciary, political pluralism, and the fight against corruption.
I have also raised - at the highest political level - the issue of intimidation and pressure against journalists, political activists and opposition figures. I have expressed the wish to visit some of these persons, including Ilgar Mammadov, Director of the Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Baku, as well as several other prominent journalists and civil society figures, if their detention continues. I hope that the recent Judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Ilgar Mammadov's case, confirming the violation of the Convention, will lead to him being freed from detention. I look forward to continuing our discussions on these, as well as on other matters, with the President of Azerbaijan, Mr Ilham Aliyev, whom we will welcome tomorrow.
At the same time, we should not forget that, as a Pan-European Organisation, we must support all member states in the implementation of their commitments and obligations. As we all know, migratory flows on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea have created huge challenges for some of our member states, including the respect of fundamental rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. During my recent visit to Greece, I was able to see with my own eyes the extent of the problem. Asylum seekers and refugees cannot be protected unless responsibilities are shared between States. Tomorrow morning, we will hold a major debate on this issue, which I hope will help us move forward.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,
Tomorrow, we will be called on to elect the future Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The candidate to be elected will start his or her mandate with a complicated political agenda: political crisis in and around Ukraine, the reform of the Council of Europe's monitoring mechanisms, budgetary constraints, the development of our relations with the Neighborhood region, to name but a few of the challenges ahead of us. In this crucial moment, the Parliamentary Assembly, as one of the Statutory Organs of the Council of Europe, must act as a prominent partner of the Secretary General and the Committee of Ministers, in defending our values and standards. Therefore, we must give to our future Secretary General a strong political mandate for the next five years in order to work together on the many challenges we have to face.
Dear colleagues,
As I am draw my introductory remarks to a close, allow me to remind you that following the cancellation, by the Azerbaijani authorities, of the visa of one of our members and Vice-Presidents, Mr Rouquet, and in accordance with our established practice, the Bureau of the Assembly decided, on 22 May 2014, not to hold further Committee meetings in Azerbaijan for the next two years, unless, of course, the authorities provide guarantees of the freedom of movement of the members of the Assembly, when they travel on Assembly business. This is an unfortunate development, but we have to stick to our rules.
Notwithstanding this decision we will continue close and constructive collaboration with the Azerbaijani authorities in the coming months.
Ladies and gentlemen,
To conclude, allow me to welcome in this Chamber our colleague, the Speaker of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr Asylbek Jeenbekov. Since the April part-session, the Kyrgyz Parliament enjoys partnership status with our Assembly and we welcome you, Mr Speaker, as well as your Parliamentary delegation, to this Chamber which, from now on, also belongs to you. At the end of this morning's sitting, we will hold a Ceremony on the occasion of the granting of the Partnership for Democracy Status to your Parliament and I would like to invite you all to join us for this event which will take place in the Lobby of the Assembly Chamber.
I thank you all for your attention and wish you a very good session!