Speeches

Madam President, thank you very much. Everyone knows that the lives of girls and women in Afghanistan became a nightmare on the day the Taliban took power – a life without human rights, without the ability to move freely in the streets and squares, a life without having to choose how they want to live. All of us who have listened to women in and from Afghanistan in recent weeks have heard the desperation. We can all see the testimonies and evidence showing how those protesting against the Taliban's insane coercion are beaten and killed. We all know that we are now on a path. Should we betray the Afghan girls and women and those who fought for human rights, LGBTIQ people and journalists? Or should we show them and the rest of the world that the EU's foreign policy is based on values that are more than fine words?