Speeches

The title of the debate is misleading. People staying at the invitation of the authorities in Minsk as tourists can move openly throughout the territory of Belarus. Thousands of euros are paid for it. At the border we are dealing with a security crisis, violations of the law and dangerous provocations, which were also practiced in the scenario of the latest Zapad-2021 maneuvers. We should debate the escalation of tensions deliberately triggered by the Belarusian regime and Russia at the external borders of the EU and NATO, including, above all, Poland. It is good that the countries of the Union and the North Atlantic Alliance, as well as the leadership of these organizations, expressed solidarity with Poland. I hope that these words will be followed by concrete actions aimed at preserving unity and strengthening our resilience against hybrid attacks from Minsk and Moscow. Only concrete actions are able to stop the aggressive actions of the Lukashenka regime fuelled by the Kremlin. The fifth tranche of sanctions against the Minsk regime is a matter of credibility for the EU. The tough sanctions must affect all entities responsible for the hybrid attack on the Polish borders, including Belarusian offices and services, entities responsible for the operation of Belarusian airports, the tourism sector, including co-operators, mainly from Russia. Each of these entities is part of a smuggling network organised by Lukashenka’s services, using people in a brutal and barbaric way to protect the disgraced power.

My stance is clear. I stand with our democratic partner, Israel. Hamas, an EU-designated terrorist organisation, has a long list of atrocities. The recent attack, both in scale and level of cruelty, only proves that you cannot negotiate with terrorism. Israel has the legitimate right to defend itself and seek justice. We should be aware that defence from terrorism requires a sophisticated, firm and preventive response that may not always be well perceived by the international public opinion. Yet, as politicians engaged in security and foreign affairs, we should be clear with our policies and formulate guidance for the general public. As the ECR Coordinator for Foreign Affairs, I tabled our motion for resolution, and I hope the joint text will include most of our clear positions, including those regarding Hamas’ state sponsors and enablers of its brutal actions.

Mr President, I also applaud Reinhard Bütikofer but I couldn’t even hear my name, I’m sorry. Colleagues, I’m really proud of our stance vis-à-vis the PRC. And in the case of both Hong Kong and Taiwan, other issues also Uyghurs. But after seven resolutions, this term of the European Parliament, we feel a certain helplessness in this. We have the Commission and the Council to step up. I’m really afraid after in particular imposing of Article 23 that we follow the path of our relationship with the Russian Federation. Too much of engagement with the PRC and too little pressure from our side to increase the position, the hope for those intimidated there.

Mr President, we stand by political prisoners all over the world. So we are happy that it was a considerable easing of conditions of Dr Ibadoghlu. Yet I would like this time to raise another topic. There is a time of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan – very delicate – and a time that we count on positive effect. And there is also almost the election time in whole Europe. So I urge my colleagues to be very cautious in exerting pressure on one side of these negotiations.

Madam President, we granted the candidate status to Georgia, acknowledging the will of the Georgian people. The will of the Georgian people has been heavily violated already by reintroduction of the so-called foreign agents law. They should not be punished further. We have to consider targeted sanctions, possibly against the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, and call for the release of Mikheil Saakashvili.

Mr President, Commissioner, we firmly stand by Rocío San Miguel and General Hernández Da Costa. Rocío San Miguel, brave lawyer and human rights defender of Spanish descent, and held in very abusive conditions. And General of very fragile health, held already six years. But we stand by others, more than 300 political prisoners of the Maduro regime and we remember María Corina Machado, who was prevented to enjoy her passive election rights in Venezuela. We, the EU, have tools on our disposal and we have to use them more, with more strength in order to ensure proper reaction from the Maduro regime. Free all prisoners immediately!

Mr President, no words provided in our resolutions are adequate to describe the level of atrocities in Afghanistan after a Taliban takeover of the state. The very radical interpretation of Sharia law in particular is violent against women and girls. They are practically banned from access to public life, work, healthcare and education without male-relative companionship. It is also extremely violent against minorities like Hazara and Tajiks, with the return of public executions. We have to demand change within the country. We have to increase our support to society.

Madam President, I'm sorry. A month ago, the European Parliament adopted my ECR amendment calling for sanctions on Russian agricultural products. By waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, the Russian Federation is striking Ukraine and the countries of the collective West equally in two sectors. This is energy, and these are agricultural products. Unique solidarity is needed to cope with this. When it comes to Ukrainian products, there is a need for a global, not only European, agreement, a kind of Ramstein, in which we agree on the final recipients of the products. Not only to help with the flow channels – although I am very happy with the resolution of the situation in the Black Sea and I think we should support it very much to make it very stable and stable. However, a much broader approach is needed, including sanctions against Russia, which is trying to crowd out agricultural production of both Ukraine and other countries from global markets, including European ones.

Mr President, today we pay tribute to Alexei Navalny, his memory, his work, and also extend our deepest sympathy to his entire family and friends. I would like especially to mention lawyers because their work was restless and really very important. Naturally, we demand immediate, unconditional release of all political prisoners in the Russian Federation, but also of all those who were prisoners and of civilians deported forcefully from Ukraine to Russia. This war should be stopped, but we believe that stopping Putin is by showing force. Therefore, we have to remember about necessity to help Ukraine defeat Russia. I’m sure that all spring of nations, eradication of neo-colonialism and also improvement of life and fulfilment of dreams of those who could dream about future beautiful Russia is via a very strict, rigid action by the international community. We first have to support Ukraine.

Madam President, the accession of Sweden is a triumph of NATO, but also a triumph of unanimity, adding to our common security and building, even in difficulty, unity of the collective West – unity achieved in respect to opinions of even the smallest nations, in particular those having a long tradition of fighting for freedom and independence. That, I address to our partners and future allies, in particular to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova: my concerns are, tomorrow, to become yours. All our thoughts and efforts should be to help you to join the collective West as soon as possible and Ukraine to defeat Russia with our help.

Madam President, I congratulate Nathalie Loiseau on this very significant report. Let me raise one issue: the West counted on the positive contribution of Russia to anti-ISIS coalition. Instead, they sent General Aleksandr Dvornikov to command the Russian troops alongside Bashar al-Assad. He earned the title of ‘the butcher of Syria’, later confirmed in Ukraine in a crackdown over Mariupol and rocket attacks on Kramatorsk railway station. Let us learn this lesson and never engage criminals in solving important problems.

Mr President, thank you very much. Welcome to the new dynamics of relations between the European Union and Armenia. We look with great hope at the cautious steps taken by Prime Minister Nikol Paszinyan, also proven during his speech here in the European Parliament, which, hopefully, will also lead to a relaxation of relations between Armenia and the Russian Federation, especially during its aggressive war. For this, however, an agreement is certainly needed between the warring countries and peoples, Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are looking with great hope at all signs of the agreement, such as the exchange of prisoners, the support of COP 29. But unfortunately, as this hope of ours becomes more and more important, something happens that again arouses our fears. Greater commitment is needed to bring about, as a last resort, a peace agreement, a just peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Madam President, methods used by the Lukashenka regime against the Belarusian opposition are well known from our regional, painful past. The recent crackdown on hundreds of closest family members, wives, mothers, daughters, other relatives of the most prominent leader, political leaders of opposition, as well as on Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s closest co-workers, against Polish community members resemble those methods used by Bolsheviks and Stalinists. We have to stand by all of them and demand immediate, unconditional release of all prisoners, cessation of all hostilities. And we have to remember that Belarus is our closest neighbour.

It is difficult to deliver my prepared speech now after the statement of Tatjana Ždanoka. Honestly speaking, with my whole life story starting from early youth involving fighting against communism, and then against all traces of malign influence, direct or indirect, by Russia or any other malign actor against not only my people, but all people who had previously been intimidated by the Soviet Union and then the Russian Federation. For people of my experience, it is not a problem to assess who is who in international bodies. Although counter intelligence belongs to the Member States, it should be done and it should be treated seriously. I would like to praise many people in my country, Poland, for exposing Russian influence. Honestly speaking, freedom of speech has no prevailing position in term in terms of security, in particular when we have the war of aggression just at our doorstep, because the war on Ukraine has increased this influence. Honestly speaking, it’s not only the left or the right, because many names are simply from the mainstream politics of European Union. We have to get rid of this malign influence.

Mr. and Mrs. President. Friends and colleagues! In order to survive, to maintain the superiority of the collective West, both military and economic, we must help a Ukraine fighting on our behalf and bleeding now, immediately and without preconditions, without theater in the form of treaty changes, budget reform, blackmail of small Member States. A strong political will is needed to overcome everything. I must admit that my hope for such a solution is not great. But hope is supposed to be the last to die, so maybe I'll see some positive results.

– Madam President, despite the efforts of the international community, the agreement between the World Bank and the World Food Programme helping millions of Sudanese affected by the ongoing crisis and dire humanitarian situation, we face even worse prospects. The World Food Programme is ringing alarm bells concerning the upcoming lean period for crops and the worsening of the situation in Sudan. We have to increase our diplomatic efforts in order to bring parties to the conflict to the negotiating table, and in particular to impose a ceasefire there.

– Madam President, the outstanding British human rights activist Benedict Rodgers stipulates in his new book, , methods used by the PRC to curb religious freedom and freedom of belief. It applies to Uyghur Muslims, to Tibetan Buddhists, to Christians, and to Falun Gong practitioners. The case of Mr Ding Yuande that we take in the resolution is the proof of these methods. His son protests just in front of Parliament, and we have to remember about Falun Gong. I commend the notion of colleagues to use this opportunity and to speak out in their case.

Madam President, I express my respect to our partner India, acknowledging many areas of common interest – to name just one: freedom of navigation and alignment in terms of the Taiwan Strait and the Red Sea. Yet we have to express our concern about the special and privileged partnership between India and the Russian Federation, recently confirmed by the telephone talk between Prime Minister Modi and Putin. This big and proud nation should reconsider eventually some areas of its foreign policy.

Mr President, colleagues, this moment certainly is a turning point for both Ukraine and all of us. Despite all efforts, what we’ve done until now is not sufficient. Ukraine needs a massive support in arms and ammunition, and that is predominantly Member States’ competence and political will is needed. We do not need a lullaby for our conscience by combining support for Ukraine with changes to MFF, we simply have to do it now.

Madam President, ‘troublemakers’ hands should be tied’ announced Jaruzelski while introducing martial law in Poland on 13 December 1981. Now, forty-two years after, the same methods have been used by the usurper Lukashenko against innocent people. Where is Mikalai Statkevich, and where are the other opponents named by all my colleagues here? I shout loudly the words of solidarity of this Chamber: all political prisoners should be released unconditionally now! We have to do our utmost to obtain this goal and also to help their families. Some of them are very ill, like the wife of Mikalai Statkevich. We have to show this solidarity.

Mr President, High Rep, the PRC is a communist state all the time increasing its aggressive, autocratic, both external and internal posture. It is our description of relationship that counts, Mr High Rep. The systemic rivalry may be sufficient for today, and the economic security strategy may be sufficient if properly enacted today, but unfortunately, due to the PRC policies, we may be forced very quickly to change our toolboxes. And by your chat about this summit, High Rep, it is not absolutely sufficient and sure. So please step up your actions.

Mr President, at the end of the previous legislature a group of MEPs, including myself, participated in the conference held in Avdiivka, Ukraine, together with members of the Verkhovna Rada, assessing damages made by the indirect aggression of Russia in eastern Ukraine as well as by the annexation of Crimea. At that time, we were taken aback by the scale of damages. Nowadays we have much, much more. We have the blowing up of Kakhovka dam, the shelling of nuclear power plants, threats against them in Zaporizhzhia, Chernobyl and in other places. Of course, Russia should be held responsible for this, put to justice. But in order to do this, we have to help Ukraine defeat Russia as soon as possible.

Mr President, High Representative / Vice-President, the Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, failing so massively his own country and his own people, decided to follow Vladimir Putin’s example. First intimidating and exerting violence against every group of political opposition to his regime. And recently also starting unilateral action against neighbouring Guyana, threatening virtual annexation of the crude-oil and gas-rich Essequibo province of the country. We have, High Representative / Vice-President to adopt more decisive measures to prevent Maduro’s regime from meddling all over the world in his actions.

Madam President, colleagues, Venezuela has been in the European Parliament’s agenda for a long time due to Maduro regime mostly internal policies, violation of human rights, impoverishing society and pushing people of his country out for long-standing migration. Now we are concerned by statements by Maduro himself of his aggressive, unilateral actions against Guyana. I kindly ask colleagues to focus on this topic during debate, as well as draw up a resolution to be adopted by the Parliament.