Speeches

Mr President, Commissioner, five Greek Cypriots in the last two months have been rotting in the dungeons of the prisons of the illegal Tatar regime in occupied Cyprus. Only today, three of the five were released on parole. We call for the unconditional release of all five. Their sin? They visited their occupied properties. They are being tried on false charges in retaliation for the arrest of the abusers, the usurpers of our occupied property. Aim for it? Serving Tatar's election purposes, excitement of nationalism between the two communities, undermining the UN Secretary-General's efforts for a solution to the Cyprus problem. I would like to note that former Turkish Cypriot leaders, lawyers, politicians, academics and trade unionists in the occupied areas react strongly to this chase. We sent two letters to the European institutions to press for the release of these people who are European citizens. No reaction. I understand, of course, that Turkey is useful to you, we have taught you between justice and interests, you choose the latter coldly; You just don't admit it.

Mr President, Commissioner, I heard in your speech 10 'shall' and 20 'must'. The fires that burned Europe this year have shown that austerity policies are catastrophic. Cyprus unfortunately holds the negative first of the decade based on its total territory. They burned 104 square kilometers. We did not see your solidarity. We asked for two planes from Spain, after three months they have not come yet. The responsibilities of the Cypriot government, of course, are enormous, but they remain orphans, since no one has resigned from the competent ministers. Since 2016, we as the Left have been calling for the establishment of a European air firefighting base in Cyprus. You are ostentatiously ignoring us. Instead of social policy, you throw it all on climate change and individual responsibility. The rescEU mechanism perpetuates the shortcomings of European Union countries by recycling scarce instruments. You told us we needed investment. Give away the billions of armaments and let the war groups earn less at last.

Mr President, Commissioner, a fascist coup d'état and an invasion by Turkey, all engineered by NATO, have brought division to my country, in fact. 51 years later, this dichotomy in a nightmarish way is ahead of us. Erdoğan and Tatar provocatively call for a separate state in the North. The UN is desperately trying to restart negotiations in a climate of pessimism. NATO and the Americans are closing their eyes to the violation of international law to hold Turkey in their arms. The European Union caresses Erdoğan. They declare Turkey a strategic partner and guarantor of European security. If possible, have the wolf guard the sheep. But Europe, if it wants, can help in the context of Euro-Turkish relations. To break the deadlock, reopen meaningful negotiations, for a bizonal bicommunal federation solution with political equality on the basis of UN resolutions and the European acquis. Otherwise, what's left? It remains a divided Cyprus, as an eternal stigma of shame for the Union itself and for the international community. Will you accept it? We, I assure you, as the Left, here and in Cyprus, will never accept it.

Madam President, Mrs Kallas, today is your birthday. But you know what? There in Gaza they cannot afford to think about their birthday. There in Gaza, all they can think about is when the time of their death will come. Prominent Israelis – even Mr Olmert, the former prime minister – say that Netanyahu is committing genocide in Gaza, killing children for hobbies. He's a war criminal based in the International Criminal Court. Now it is attacking Iran, setting fire to the whole Middle East. I wonder if this is the Middle East we want to build. The new Guernica today is Gaza and is the great shame of the Western world. End immediately the association agreement with Israel. A genocide is taking place before your eyes. How many deaths will you react to? Why do you continue to support a war criminal? Stop, at last, rewarding Israel's barbarism. Unless you've become so barbaric.

Madam President, Mrs Kallas, let us talk about NATO. Let me tell you what NATO is, as a Cypriot, that I know firsthand. It is what provoked a fascist coup d'état in Cyprus in 1974 and prompted Turkey to invade my island. It is the one that supports, caresses and equips Turkey, which 51 years later occupies the territory of a Member State. It is NATO that gave birth to and supported dictatorships in the 1970s in Greece, Spain and Portugal. It is the one that flattened Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan. It is this that has fuelled and sustained the war in Ukraine. It is what today wants to steal money from the backwardness of the European peoples in order to enrich the merchants of war. It is a bellicose organism, which feeds on the blood and fear it spreads. What about Europe? Europe is a political dwarf, a sad tail of NATO, watching things with guilt and embarrassment. And we who want peace tell you that, as long as NATO exists, the peoples will not have peace.

Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur friend for offering us a balanced report on Montenegro. Montenegro can fairly be described – as other colleagues have said – as a pioneer country in the enlargement process of the Western Balkans, since all 33 negotiating chapters have been opened – even though six of them are closed. The country is increasingly ready to meet the necessary Copenhagen membership criteria. Clearly, however, much remains to be done, especially in the area of the fight against corruption, both institutionally and in terms of culture and education. The country should also align with the recommendations of the Venice Commission and ensure the smooth functioning of the rule of law, with a main focus on press freedom. But – listen to me a little – I am concerned about this: Are we, who are assessing third countries, convinced that the European Union meets the expectations of its people and those we want to integrate? When we are plagued by scandals like vaccines, when we whistle indifferently about the genocide in Palestine. We are not taking any diplomatic initiative to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, we have not found a word of condemnation for Israel's unprovoked attack on Iran, we are not ensuring an adequate standard of living for millions of European citizens. We spend billions – we do not have – on armaments. You know what? Teachers need to convince students and we, I think, have failed.

Mr President, Mr Lenaers, I am really glad that, on behalf of the European People's Party, you are also admitting that, although we worked very hard as the PEGA Committee and gave them everything - facts, sinful companies, names and addresses - and made recommendations to them, the guilty states did nothing. Or rather, they did: They allowed the use of spyware against journalists. That is the truth, Commissioner and Minister. Words and inexpensive rhetoric are no longer enough. The situation now is worse than the previous one. Predator software is still actively used. We also learned about Graphite, which is an evolution of Pegasus developed by the Israeli NSO. Here, the Israeli ambassador to Spain himself boldly warned the country with surveillance revelations because Spain recognized Palestine. Tell us, what don't you understand? Be brave at last; Prohibit them. Otherwise, you are complicit – as you are in so many others.

Mr President, I would like to begin by thanking Mr Amor, the rapporteur for the report on the Turkey-European Union accession negotiations, for his effort to give us a balanced text, under the circumstances. A text that has many fair and correct references to the Bizonal Bicommunal Federation as the basis for a solution to the Cyprus problem, the rejection of the two-state solution, the surrender of Varosha to its lawful inhabitants, the need to clarify the fate of the missing, the detachment of the Turkish Cypriots from Ankara's suffocating embrace. Also positive is what is said about Greek-Turkish – the need to respect the Copenhagen criteria, Turkey’s recognition of all Member States, as well as Turkey’s strong criticism of democracy, the rule of law and human rights. But, Commissioner, can you consider Turkey to be your strategic partner? To offer it an upgraded customs union and a strategic partnership instead of accession, i.e. more privileges without obligations? You have made good efforts, Mr Amor, with regard to the report. But bread and knife are in the hands of the Council and the Commission, and they are ready to give almost everything to Turkey and Erdoğan. But where did you see the progress, Commissioner? Erdoğan sent you a message yesterday from occupied Nicosia and told you: I don't count you. I bring a message of partition to Cyprus, I realize the blue homeland. I'm a cowboy in the area. I wonder, how can you stand him? Or is it convenient for you after all?

Madam President, I would like to begin by thanking Mr Bajada for his effort to present us with a balanced text. Without water there is no life, and already many states began to thirst. Among them is Cyprus, my country, which is at the heart of this crisis. The effects of climate change, water scarcity, reckless waste of water and the negligence of governments, which did not take measures to safeguard water as a public good, led to the tragic situation we are experiencing today. The bill will again be paid by the people, agriculture and small businesses. Water will not be solved by borrowed desalination, as my country, Cyprus, is doing today, nor by piecemeal measures. We need a holistic national strategy but also support from the European Union, which is why we welcome the adoption of our proposal to create a regional centre in the Mediterranean that takes water management into account. What is needed today is immediate political will to implement the proposals. Today, before it's too late.

Madam President, 51 years after the illegal Turkish invasion, Cyprus, a member of the European Union, remains a divided country, with Turkey occupying 37% of its territory and violating basic principles of international law. Eight years after the failure in Crans-Montana, the informal five-party meeting was recently held in Geneva. As AKEL and as the European Left we supported this process as an attempt to break the deadlock and start the substantive negotiations from the point where they were interrupted. By fully adopting the Guterres framework and the convergences for a Bizonal Bicommunal Federation solution with political equality. Turkey and Tatar must abandon the idea of two states and sovereign equality. Any concessions to Turkey in the context of Euro-Turkish relations must necessarily be linked to the solution of the Cyprus problem. The impasse and stagnation do not suit anyone, not even the European Union. Only those who promote partition. We - the partition - will not accept this and it will never suit us.

Madam President, Mrs Kallas, I wonder why you are still debating. To keep up appearances? But there's nothing left. Schools, health centers, infrastructure became ruins. 50 000 Palestinians have been murdered and so many more are missing. The majority of them are children, women and the elderly. How can you sleep at night? Honestly, I'm asking. Now the havoc is over – says Gideon Levy, a columnist for Haaretz, even Israel now cannot hide that it is hitting civilians. That in itself is a war crime. Don't you see it? We're still talking here, too. How much hypocrisy? Before your eyes there is an ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and you are rewarding Israel's barbarity. The European Union has its hands drenched in blood. Suspend all agreements with Israel immediately. End the occupation immediately. Give Palestinians the state they are entitled to.

Madam President, Commissioner, the fact that you did not go to Ankara does not matter much. Let's admit it: Erdoğan has you in hand. There's no other explanation. He jails mayors, arrests thousands of Turkish citizens, exterminates his political opponents. Mr von der Leyen and Mr Kallas and the majority of European leaders appeased him. We are absent, bent and fatal. You pretend you don't see his totalitarianism. You even put him on the right side of the story. Who? - Who? Erdoğan. You have now declared him the guarantor of European security to serve your warlike plans. You will give him many billions of our pockets to equip you. It's a disgrace! Ask Turkey for what is self-evident – respect for democratic principles, the rule of law and human rights – at last. Stop putting Europe itself on the wrong side of history. Or is there no stopping the downhill? What do you say?

Mr. President, you're finally gonna do it, aren't you? Through a war frenzy, you will spend 800 billion, which you do not have, on the so-called common defense. But for there to be a common defence, there must also be a common foreign policy. There are too many reluctants here. You are committing illegal, anti-institutional misconduct and proclaiming Turkey the guarantor of European security. It's a disgrace! Allegedly to support Ukraine and its people. Tell the truth, what you want, through a vulgar bargain with the Americans, is the country's rare earths and wealth. Tell the truth at last. You will bankrupt European peoples and enrich the merchants of death, to move European economies through armaments. You've already confessed: Hand in hand with the sinful NATO you will walk. European autonomy, of course, is also on the way. Commissioner, you are sowing winds and the European people will reap storms. The ball is now at the feet of the European peoples. Only they can stop you.

Mr President, Commissioner, we are again here for Turkey, a country with the highest prison rates of all the member states of the Council of Europe. A country that, while saying that it is negotiating with Öcalan for a peaceful settlement with the Kurds, at the same time represses the opposition, jails and removes democratically elected Kurdish mayors from their positions. Here, obviously, something's wrong. We ask Turkey for the obvious and you should ask for them too. That is, to respect democratic values, the rule of law, human rights and comply with European Union law. These are absolute criteria that cannot be included in an oriental bazaar without principles. Turkey cannot rank, as some European officials say, on the right side of history while behaving with authoritarianism. Neither can you, however, sacrifice everything for money and to serve some interests. Mrs von der Leyen must say this and demand it from Mr Erdoğan when they meet. I hope he can.

Mr President, it strikes me that some people only see missing persons in Ukraine. They also talk about Gaza, but they don't tell us that there are only Palestinians missing in Gaza. Nor do they tell us about the tens of thousands of missing persons that emerged from fascist dictatorial regimes in Europe. There are, of course, the missing persons in Cyprus. Unfortunately, for many decades the issue of missing persons in Cyprus, perhaps the most tragic aspect of this problem, has continued. The list of course is enriched by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot missing persons and the pain for mothers, siblings and relatives is common. Of course, the Committee on Missing Persons is supported by the European Union, but this support is not enough, because Turkey continues to present obstacles, difficulties and misinformation. Thus, the responsibilities of the European Union and the international community are now even more important in the direction of pressuring Turkey, forcing it to open its military archives, providing information and data on the missing. I refer characteristically to the case of the missing persons of Assia, my village. There, the Turkish army executed 70 people in cold blood and threw them into a well. In 1996 they were moved to a garbage dump in Dikomo. There is also my uncle, my uncle Kleanthis. We want their bones back, to bury them as befits the dead. We're not asking for much. We want to act now. We owe it to the memory of the victims. We owe it to their families who need to know the truth.

Mr President, Commissioner, the planet is literally burning. It is affected by droughts, storms and heatwaves that cause loss of life and property, irreparably damage the natural environment and lead to water scarcity. This is called climate change. Oh, that's wrong. Let's call it a crisis and let Trump and his like in here mock it as a silly story. I'm going to believe, of course, that Europe is not going back either. You are generously giving billions for defense and militarization, pledging the future of future generations. But when it comes to the green transition, you are tightening the belts too much. Boost green capitalism by giving too many gifts to the so-called green transition industrialists. At last tax the rich polluters, not the poor and middle popular strata, not the global South that bears the brunt of climate impacts. Commissioner, the disaster lies ahead of you. Do something about it. You may not have another chance.

Mr President, Mrs Kallas, Assad, the dictator, has fallen and the festivities, like those for Iraq and Libya, have begun. We saw, of course, what spring it brought for its peoples. And now who's here? The terrorists until yesterday, outlawed jihadists, bloodthirsty murderers, who now you, too, baptize them as liberators and honorable interlocutors. What a hypocrisy! For years, Syria's territorial sovereignty was abolished and the European Union did not speak out. It wasn't, you see, Ukraine. The script is a nightmare. Syria is threatened with dismemberment. They share her clothes, her pieces, the Russians and the Americans. The Turks invaded and occupied areas, mercilessly hitting the Kurds. Netanyahu's criminal indictee is making illegal settlements in the Golan Heights to build a great Israel. Let me remind you, in case you forgot, that the genocide in Gaza continues. Europe as usual is absent. Do the minimum. Ensure the territorial integrity and unity of Syria. Let the tortured Syrian people decide freely about their future.

Madam President, Commissioner, climate change, desertification, the reckless use of pesticides and the destruction of the environment threaten water in Europe. Lack of access to water is a major obstacle to development, to poverty eradication, to building a peaceful future. Nowadays, you know, there are wars over water, not just oil. The problem is particularly acute and evident in the Mediterranean region. This region is home to a large part of the world's population living in water poverty. And my country, Cyprus, is once again at the heart of this crisis. The human right to quality water has not been guaranteed to all people. That is why we need to take immediate action. Protect its public character and not allow the privatization of the sector for profit for the few. Europe to subsidise small private seawater treatment plants. Respond to water losses from water supply systems. Life without water cannot exist. Let this not be sacrificed on the altar of capitalist profit.

Mr President, as is well known, on 15 November 1983 the Turkish Cypriot leadership led by Rauf Denktash declared the pseudo-state in Cyprus to be the culmination of Turkey's dichotomous policy. This is an action that continues to this day to violate every principle of international law. In Cyprus there are neither two states nor two peoples. There are Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus who have been suffering for years from the same causes – the Turkish occupation army, settlements and the denial of basic human rights for all our people. We demand that the occupation be abolished, but also that the status quo be stopped. We insist on the solution of the Cyprus problem – a bizonal bicommunal federation solution with political equality – and on the reunification of Cyprus and its people. Only in this way can the pseudo-state be abolished. Not with shouting. Otherwise, we are led to the nightmare of partition, with all the suffering it can bring to Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. 50 years of occupation, Mr President, is too much. Our people, our children, demand a peaceful future. We, as the Left in Cyprus, will continue this struggle to the end.

Madam President, Commissioner, I too had the honour of taking part in the UN Summit on the Future, a meeting which took place at a particularly difficult international juncture. Wars, climate crisis, poverty. Today, humanity faces an existential threat. What was agreed in the Pact for the Future, for peace and security, sustainable development and its financing, digital cooperation, youth and human rights sounds good. Is it sufficient? No, I don't. We live at a time when, while wars and conflicts are growing rapidly, we are witnessing a spectacular decline in diplomacy. Some countries do not respect UN resolutions, while at the same time scolding its secretary-general. Persona non grata! That sounded too! We must boldly reform the UN Council to include the ever-emerging global South. We must put an end to the colonial and neo-colonial approaches that have condemned millions of people to poverty and destitution, thereby financing our own prosperity. We are talking about the need to finance development in these third countries, without touching on the serious issue of writing off their debt. Now is the time to radically change direction. Otherwise, what we write and proclaim will have no more value than the ink spent on writing it.

(non-microphone principle of intervention) ...and we grieve for the Israeli victims of Hamas on the seventh of October. Does Israel have the right to self-defense? Clearly. What is happening is not self-defense. It is an ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide. It dissolves Gaza, it bombs Iraq, Syria, Yemen, it invades Lebanon which is going to become a new Gaza, as you said, it takes Iran's turn and then what? A regional war that will set fire to the entire Middle East, to build the New Middle East through rivers of blood. This is the goal of Israel, the Americans and a part of the European Union. You fed the beast with guns and money, and now he doesn't count on anyone. Neither you, Mr. Borrell, nor the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He's only counting on his own survival. We are saddened by all this, because no one is referring to the need to establish a Palestinian state. We are saddened, above all, because we know that there are instigators and accomplices behind this crime.

Mr President, Commissioner, Europe and – in particular – the Mediterranean countries are facing the problem of water scarcity as a consequence of climate change. In my country, Cyprus, the repercussions are particularly dramatic, with huge damage to crops. That is why, as a left-wing group, we called for the plenary to commit to a resolution calling on the European Union to actively support its members in tackling the effects of water scarcity on human health, agriculture, the economy and the environment. Unfortunately, our request was rejected. Let everyone finally take responsibility. Endless debates are not enough; projects are needed. Climate change, which afflicts our farmers, is also the result of some European policies, to be frank, which sacrifice the environment and public health on the altar of big companies' profit. We will continue to fight for the protection of the environment and for the just demands of farmers. We call on you to actively support farmers from the agricultural reserve and to make public investments to create desalination plants, among other things, to address the problem of water scarcity.

Madam President, Commissioner, respect for human rights and the rule of law are non-negotiable values for all and – of course – also for Cuba. But this supposed sensitivity of the anti-Cuban lobby that we have heard here tonight about democracy and freedoms in Cuba is hypocritical. Is there a greater violation of human rights than the illegal imposition of the barbaric US embargo against the Cuban people? If the Cuban people are in a dramatic situation, it is for this very reason. Why don't you talk about it? They have literally drowned Cuba and its proud people for 65 years because they chose to take their fate into their own hands. You don't say a word about it. Here, even UN resolutions on the need to lift the embargo against Cuba are violated. Leave the Americans and cheap anti-communism. The European Union – after Draghi says it wants to become autonomous – should develop a dialogue with Cuba on the basis of honesty, equality and reciprocity. Let this proud people live freely on the path they have chosen.

Madam President, Commissioner, history is well known. Listen to her. When the Germans went to Paris, a Nazi officer visited Picasso in his laboratory. Seeing Guernica, the painting of this small Spanish town flattened by Franco with his fascist allies, he asked him: Did you do that? "No," he said, "you." Gaza is the new Guernica these days. When questioned in the future by another Picasso, he will answer that these atrocities and this genocide were committed by the arch-murderer Netanyahu together with his allies; the United States, NATO and the European Union. Gaza is the great disgrace of the Western capitalist world. Already in its ruins were buried the last examples of humanity and sensitivity of the European Union. I ask: How much more blood do you have to shed to get excited? How many deaths will you respond to? Why do you continue to support Netanyahu, a war criminal?

Madam President, Commissioner, let us speak frankly. In Ukraine, it is not only Zelenskyy who is fighting against Putin. In Ukraine, NATO and the European Union are fighting against Russia. And don't tell us we're pro-Putin now to get it over with, because we're not. That's the truth. We defend peace. But you also have to tell your own truth. That you don't care at all about the thousands of young Ukrainians and Russians milled by the war meat grinder in a war waged over fossil fuels, energy, pipelines and to serve imperialist geopolitical rivalries. You're already preparing us for war. Draghi said so; EUR 500 billion for the defence industry over the next ten years. That is, public money to speculate on the war industries. This will dismantle the welfare state, health and education in Europe. And - I say - stop sending weapons at last. Ukraine and Europe need peace, not war.