Debate contributions by Małgorzata GOSIEWSKA

Mr President, thank you very much. I have been supporting a democratic Georgia on its path to the European Union for years. I admired the development after the Rose Revolution and the reforms that brought the country closer to European standards. After Bidzina Ivanishvili took power, I watched with pain the gradual collapse of the country and its subordination to Moscow's policy. One of Ivanishvili's political prisoners is former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. It is to him that I would now like to give the floor. Here is a letter I received from you yesterday. Dear Members of the European Parliament, In a few weeks, on the eastern edge of Europe, in Georgia, there may be a great victory for Europe, democracy and peace, or a great tragedy. In this struggle, the public mood in Georgia is unequivocal. The vast majority of citizens support Europe and freedom, not wanting to return to Russian influence. On the other side is a Russian oligarch. He is willing to do anything not to give up power and will prepare to rip off the upcoming elections, just as he has taken control of the whole state. Democracy in Georgia is in grave danger. In just over two weeks, we will face a regime that lost the election but won't recognize the results, possibly suppressing hundreds of thousands of protesters, arresting thousands, and perhaps using lethal force. It's a classic déjà vu from Belarus and Venezuela. Do not allow a country that once delighted the world with the Rose Revolution to be tragically separated from its true dream of belonging to Europe. These are the words of President Saakashvili. Come and observe the election. Express your support for the Georgian people. Make your voice sound louder than before...

Mr President, thank you very much. As Moldova approaches key presidential elections and a decisive referendum on integration into the European Union, we are facing a critical moment. We must act decisively to protect this democratic process from external interference, from Russia, whose relentless attempts to destabilise Moldova threaten its sovereignty. Moldova's courageous progress towards European integration is under constant attack. This is not only Moldova's struggle, it is also our struggle. The European Union must stand shoulder to shoulder with Moldova, providing solid political, financial and technical support to ensure that Moldova’s elections are free, fair and resilient to external manipulation. Poland has been actively participating in these processes for years, both through development cooperation with the use of EU funds and within the framework of bilateral cooperation. Strengthening Moldova is not just a matter of solidarity. This is a strategic imperative for the stability and security of our entire region. Let's send a clear signal. Moldova's path to Europe will not be stopped by Putin.

There is poverty in every country affected by the Soviet Union and Vladimir Putin. In every country affected by Vladimir Putin, there are prisons, starving children and human rights violations. Not Americans – Russia is the evil we must fight, the evil we must confront. And that's the truth.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I express my deep concern about the human rights situation in Cuba, in particular the fate of José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Cuban Patriotic Union. Arrested on 11 July 2021, he is still in prison in scandalous conditions, without access to medical care, cut off from contact with the world. However, Cuba is not only about prisons and violations, the suppression of civil liberties. I spoke to a clergyman who serves in Cuba. His work is not only spiritual support, but also daily help for families in humanitarian matters. There is a lack of medicines, medical supplies, electricity, milk for children, even bread in Cuba. It is the result of communist rule, dictatorship and dependence on Russia. Poverty and hopelessness allow Russia to recruit mercenaries from Cuba to fight against Ukraine. The young Cubans sign a pact with the devil and become Russian cannon fodder. Silence against this tyranny is complicity in crimes. Cooperation with this regime is complicity in crimes. Cubans, we admire your courage, we support your struggle, we are with you.

Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are obliged to express our firm condemnation of the brutal actions of the Lukashenka regime. From here in the European Parliament, I address all political prisoners and their families in their language, in Belarusian: (Speaks in a language that is not an official language). Particularly appalling is the case of Andrzej Poczobut, a man of steadfast character whose life is in danger today. I know him personally, and I won't rest until he's free. There is also a Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski in prison, but also many Christian clergy. Six Belarusian political prisoners have already died or been murdered. It is an act of terror against one's own people. We call on the regime to immediately release all political prisoners. If you don't, we'll make sure you end up in The Hague, that your power doesn't last forever, and that your guilt is punished. Lively by Belarus.

Madam President, thank you very much. Ladies and Gentlemen, Western Europe is struggling with increasing crime, which is the responsibility of immigrants, or rather those who invited them to Europe. Groups of young, unemployed, aggressive men are an increasingly common sight on European streets. And what does that mean? Each of you knows perfectly well, because as an MEP you get warnings, where in the evening in Brussels you probably shouldn't go. It is a pity that in this way only parliamentarians are protected, forgetting about ordinary citizens. Spain – one in two perpetrators of sexual aggression is a foreigner. Immigrants from Africa, although they make up 2.5% of the population, are responsible for 20% of the country's sex crimes. Sweden – around 33% of prisoners are immigrants. Germany – The crime report shows that immigrants are overrepresented in murder, murder, serious bodily injury and rape. The German interior minister herself stressed that Germany remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world. We firmly reject the further arrival and reception of immigrants. We demand safety for our families...

Dear Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen, The situation in Venezuela reminds us of Belarus. Belarus, where the usurper Lukashenka, ignoring the will of the voters, forcibly maintained power, suppressed social opposition and forced Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, the real winner of the elections, to emigrate. At that time, Europe did not recognize this act of violence and enslavement. And rightly so. The cooperation of the Russian and Belarusian regimes with the dictatorial regime in Venezuela shows how deeply criminal systems can support each other. We Poles have experienced dictatorships many times and we perfectly understand the pain and suffering of authoritarian rule. So let us support the opposition and civil society in countries like Venezuela, which are facing inhumane regimes that are causing poverty and forcing millions of people to emigrate. The people of Venezuela have the same aspirations, dreams and rights as we Europeans, as evidenced by their protests, demonstrations and proof of electoral fraud. Europe should stand in solidarity with all peoples who want a better fate, freedom and the rule of law. Solidarity on such fundamental issues is a test of our credibility as a community based on values and should not be subject to any political relativisation.

Mr President, I would like to thank you for this. Negotiations. Diplomacy. Conversations. We hear it all the time. Who do you want to talk to? With Putin? With a murderer? It was this attitude that led to the war. The Minsk Accords. Do you remember who was sitting at the table at the Minsk agreements? Terrorists from Donetsk and Luhansk were invited. And now you want to invite Vladimir Putin, the world's greatest terrorist, to the table. What for? To give him time to prepare for another aggression? To attack Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia or finally my country, Poland?