Speeches

Mr President, thank you very much. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Oh, my friends! Thank you very much for this debate in the European Parliament. We have been celebrating – in our hearts, in our deeds – a year since the terrible invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. At this time, the repression of the Lukashenka regime against its own peaceful society is also increasing. Andrzej Poczobut, an activist with an extraordinary personality, an outstanding journalist, recently ill, was sentenced, after 650 days in prison, to a heavy colony of stricter security. Ales Białacki – Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a person who is a symbol for all of us, also among all opposition figures, Sakharov Prize laureate – spoke in his last word in his ongoing process about the need for social reconciliation. Belarusian society loves peace, freedom and democracy. This is not the time to negotiate with Lukashenko. Sanctions need to be strengthened.

Mr President, High Representative, Vice-President. The alarm bell we have been speaking about since the beginning of this debate is still on, and the war is not over. Thousands of Ukrainians have perished in this war, and the Russian atrocities because of this criminal war of aggression are unbearable. Russia has to be defeated. The alarm bell is still on for Ukraine and for all of us. We have to deliver whatever is needed to achieve this result now – fighter jets, fighter helicopters and air defence systems with appropriate range. We do this for ourselves and for our children. We have to know this.

Mr President, during the previous legislature, the sudden admission to eastern province of Kivu and the city of Goma of the DRC was able to put to the report findings about extremely fragile security and humanitarian situation in the region. We were able to see with our own eyes the border violence between Rwanda and the DRC. The findings of you and a group of experts mandated by the UN Sanctions Committee just magnifies this picture. I welcome this statement by the Vice-President/High Representative on behalf of the EU in this respect. We urge all actors to immediately dispatch to proceed along the Nairobi and Luanda processes. In particular, the Rwandan authorities to stop supporting the UN sanctioned March 23 movement and all regional actors, in particular, DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, to further engage in supporting the peace process. The situation is of utmost concern. Rapes, murders, captured peoples and slavery. These are seen on a daily basis in eastern Congo. It has to be stopped!

Madam President, I'm sorry. Mr. Commissioner, I'm sorry. Last week's series of earthquakes hit territories that have been experiencing humanitarian disasters for years. Especially in Turkey and Syria. This caused and causes that the quick and efficient delivery of help, searches is such a complicated and difficult matter. Despite this, the institutions of the European Union and the Member States, including to a large extent my country, Poland, acted very quickly and efficiently. I wanted to thank everyone for this action, but first of all I want to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the people, the people of Turkey, Syria and all the other affected countries. We must make further efforts, because the scale of destruction and the number of victims is simply incredible, unprecedented in history, and previous disasters do not allow to determine this scale precisely. We have to be ready for a long time to help.

Madam President, colleagues, in the course of criminal war of aggression against Ukraine waged by Russian Federation, Alexander Lukashenka, the oppressor of Belarus, launches his next wave of atrocities against society, in particular by convicting the very important member of the Belarusian opposition, an outstanding journalist, Andrzej Poczobut after 690 days in prison earlier, awaiting this judgment. Now court proceedings have started against Ales Bialiatski, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and one of Sakharov Prize winners, together with other opposition members. He asked for the court proceedings to be conducted in Belarusian, it was rejected. That’s showing the Russification of Belarus. I kindly ask you to support him.

Madam President, colleagues, several years ago, Vladimir Putin personally described the kind of treatment he wanted to impose on Mikheil Saakashvili, who was then the third President of Georgia. As any other person in the world, he is entitled to his homeland, not being an outlaw. Therefore, he returned there, wishing to face the court. He’s not treated as any other person there. I appeal to the Georgian authorities to release him to be cured abroad for humanitarian reasons. He is dying in prison and that affects the future of Georgia a lot.

Madam President, colleagues, I’m deeply grateful for all Europeans do for Ukraine. In particular, I’m proud of my people. Now let me tell you quickly and shortly, it’s ‘sanctions, sanctions, sanctions’, without circumventing of them; weapons that are necessary to defeat Russia delivered to Ukraine immediately; and real fighting impunity, including crime of aggression, not just as a slogan used, but by NGOs. And Commissioner, running marathon in times of earthquake and people shedding their blood for our values is not advisable. We have to have clear timeline agreed with Ukraine for accession to the EU and NATO.

Madam President, colleagues, all of us were able to see videos and photos of the third President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, testifying remotely to the Court of Tbilisi. We were able to see the very shaky, fragile condition of his health. In many documents, we have voiced our concern and appealed for his humanitarian release from prison enabling him to be cured abroad in proper conditions. Nowadays, his health state was confirmed in court by a world—renowned neurologist, showing, among other things, multiple disorders as well as the wrong administration of medicines to the prisoner. I kindly ask you to accept our request.

Madam President, colleagues, we are firm and quite sure: first, arms and ammunition to deliver to Ukraine in order to enable this country’s full victory over the appalling aggressor, the Russian Federation. Simultaneously, we have to ensure bringing all perpetrators of crimes to justice, all crimes – war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, but also the crime of aggression. Since the outset, we call this invasion a ‘war of aggression’. And today we present a joint comprehensive draft resolution proposing the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression and thus bringing decision-makers, both political and military, to justice.

Madam President, High Representative / Vice-President, colleagues, I deeply feel all areas you mentioned HR / VP and I engage there assisting them in their dire situation in particular people there. Yet allow me to focus on Ukraine, so brutally against all principles of international law, invaded the previous year by the Russian Federation – a full-scale invasion by the permanent UN Security Council member. We have to focus all our efforts in helping Ukraine to win this war. The previous year was a real test for us of our unity. We maintain it although very fragile, we have to strengthen it. And the previous year was a year of real test passed by the US in its leadership in defending Europe. Therefore putting in question the whole concept of strategic autonomy; without their weapons, Ukraine would not be able to fight. And myself and my colleagues suffering decades because of early warning vis-à-vis the Russian Federation. We are against qualified majority voting in foreign affairs. There is much to change in the foreign affairs of the EU and current actions are not enough to prove the real leadership of a majority of the EU.

Mr President, Commissioner, terror and repression imposed by the usurper Lukashenko and his regime on Belarusian people, thousands of them imprisoned, including the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bieletski and Andrzej Poczobut – over 600 days in prison. Young journalists in cages during court proceedings, de—routing of Poles and Lithuanians, Russifying very actively Belarusians enabling Putin to wage his war of aggression on Ukraine. Despite all of this, Belarusian people consolidate in opposing the regime. They build structures. They actively fight together with Ukrainians against illegal aggression. Despite all of this! (The speaker used a slogan in a non-EU language)

Madam President, Commissioner, Colleagues, the world is better without dictators. Yet, 11 years after the Arab Spring and fall of Muammar Gaddafi, we have to step up our efforts in order to help Libyans bring stability and peace to the country. We have to support, with all our might, the efforts of the UN Special Representative, who is already in Tbilisi, and also support the acceleration process of coming to presidential and parliamentary elections, as well as a referendum that is to adopt the constitution and thus abandoning the constitutional covenant still in and in power. We also have to use necessary financial resources supporting Operation IRINI and the EU Border Control Mission.

Mr President, after a somehow hasty completion of the CAI, we’ve had COVID-19, a crackdown on Hong Kong, intimidation of Taiwan, violence against Uighurs, probably genocide, and also coercion of Lithuania and Australia, not to mention other countries. Moreover, what happens internally in the PRC somehow resembles preparations by Russia to a war of aggression against Ukraine. I warned this chamber against naivety in its assessment of the PRC.

Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, despite question marks, I welcome the EPC’s additional informal format to face the enormous security challenges we face in Europe. Good that UK and Turkey were there. Good that Russia and Belarus were not there. Good that Armenia and Azerbaijan used our table instead of the Moscow—based one. I urge European leaders to invite the legitimate representative of Belarusian people to the next meeting of the EPC and discuss the security situation there.

Madam President, Commissioner, against the will of the Belarusian people, the usurper Lukashenko turns his country into a bridgehead for he Russian army, thus becoming an accomplice in the war of aggression against Ukraine. He gave his consent to launches of more than 700 rockets on Ukrainian territories and numerous drones. Together with Putin and other perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity, he has to be brought to justice.

Madam President, Commissioner, the enlargement package 2022 for Western Balkans certainly brings new dynamics to the region and to us. Big news is, of course, the Bosnia and Herzegovina in cohesion with also NATO’s security recommendations. This notion should be accompanied by our additional pressure put on Serbia in order to fully align with collective West’s policies vis—a—vis Russia, in particular, sanctions package. We have to ensure that Russian world is not to be replaced by Serbian world in the Western Balkans. I would suggest fast track for Albania and North Macedonia. In the case of Albania, it is important to pay attention to eventual Iranian actions because of their generous attitude to the Ashraf people transferred to Albania. And of course, we have to pay attention to the other countries of the region, supporting them as much as possible.

Madam President, Beslan, Dubrovka, Grozny, Anna Politkovskaya, Nemtsov, Litvinenko, the Skripals, Georgia, most probably Smolensk, then Crimea, Donbas, Luhansk and now the whole territory of Ukraine, including nuclear power plants. Do we need further evidence? I wholeheartedly support denomination of Russian Federation as a terrorist state, despite difficulties that we have to work on.

Mr President, Commissioner, since the military coup d’état in Myanmar of 1 February 2021, we see the accompanying crackdown on opposition leaders and even ordinary activists, public figures, that are detained and also massive crackdown on media as well as telecommunications. Also a variety of social media outlets are curbing the access to internet and to uncensored information within Myanmar. Four rounds of our sanctions and numerous resolutions of the European Parliament may be in vain without strict international broader coordination with like-minded partners, in particular transatlantic ones and countries like UK. Within the Global Press Freedom Index of Article 19, Myanmar holds now the fifth lowest position among 180 in terms of media freedom. We have to push and exert pressure for immediate release of detained journalists and for stopping the violence.

Madam President, High Representative / Vice—President, thanks to the fantastic resistance of the Ukrainian army and people and facing humiliating defeat in his war waged against Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and the Russian institutions committed a series of fatal mistakes, but he also renewed his nuclear threats against the collective West, not only against Ukraine. My appeal here from this chamber to the Western media and to individual politicians is to refrain from playing Putin’s game, from repeating his threat of nuclear war. The proper action to be taken within the collective West is to revise the nuclear deterrence schemes and make Putin and Russian elites sure that any strike against Ukraine, Ukraine’s neighbours or any ally and EU Member State as well is to be fatal for him and his country. There is no place in a contemporary world for this kind of state terrorism.

Madam President, Mr High Rep., Vice-President, Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian woman of Kurdish origin was beaten to death by the so-called law enforcement forces of Iran. The regime – directly responsible for her killing, as well as for violent crackdowns, murders, violent crackdown of the massive protests that followed this crime – has been led for a few years already by President Raisi, a person directly responsible for judicial killings, a crime against humanity, towards the end of the 1980s. Stop impunity for this kind of crimes. High Rep., it is high time that we impose, as you say, restrictive measures against those who lead this kind of barbarous regimes.

– Madam President, once more, the method so well known to all of us neighbours of Russia, whole generations of us, is now happening in Ukraine. Over 2 million of forcefully departed people to the hands of the enemy attacking brutally their country. Over half a million kids. Terrified undergoing forced Russification, illegally adopted and terrified because they are so distant from their families, their parents. Russia has to be defeated in this war, clearly defeated and forced to repeal all legislation and allow, by the pressure of the whole international community, to return all of them home, to their homeland and possibly still to their families. We wish them all the best. God bless Ukraine.

Madam President, Taiwan is a vibrant democracy in the Indo-Pacific, a like-minded society and an important partner with regard to our political engagement, including parliamentary. It is true: the EU accepts the One China policy, but there is a second part to this – one China, two systems. Certainly, there is a difference between communism and vibrant democracy. Therefore, and with the recent escalation of actions by the PRC against Taiwan, including threats of full—scale invasion and remembering the example of Ukraine and actions of other autocratic actors, we have to send a very clear message to the PRC that this kind of policy, in particular from a UN Security Council member, is not acceptable and that we are going to use all our force to stand by Taiwan.

Madam President, it is so painful to speak every time about Hong Kong, showing precisely the nature of atrocities against ordinary peace-loving and democracy-loving people who, as my colleague said minutes ago, were betrayed by neighbours. And that shows the real nature of the Communist regime, regardless of propaganda. The arrest and charges against an authority, a great authority, 90-year-old Cardinal Zen, shows how vicious, brutal this regime can be. We stand by him. We call on the international community to use every power possible to exert pressure on PRC to drop charges against Cardinal Zen and other people of Hong Kong who simply want to live in peace. And we have to work with the Vatican. For me, a Pole, it is a reminder of the faith and brave behaviour of our leader, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. It is the fate of leaders, of spiritual leaders, but we have to defend them by all our force.

Mr President, Commissioner, it is for the first time in history that we try to implement the Withdrawal Agreement. With pain, and not all circumstances we were able to foresee while negotiating and signing it. Surely, we did not foresee the vicious war so close to our borders, and necessity to focus on the security. I think there is room for compromise. Surely, the unilateral solutions are not the best ones. And I call on both sides to sit at the table and find this solution for the sake of future cooperation.

Mr President, Commissioner, it’s almost 20 years now of my active public support of all three applicants on their way to the EU. Also to Balkan states I can feel this wind of change blowing here. Yet the success of the whole of Europe, including enlargement policy, depends on our will and ability to help Ukraine win this war. Also Belarusians know this. They now fight in the Ukraine along with Ukrainians, against Russians, in a Belarussian regiment named after Kalinoŭski. They also deserve a European future. We have to remember them.