6
Feb
2024
Watch
Russiagate: allegations of Russian interference in the democratic processes of the European Union (debate)
Mr President, they say Tatjana Ždanoka is an agent. Yes, I am an agent – an agent for peace, an agent for Europe without fascism, an agent for minority rights, an agent for a united Europe from Lisbon to the Urals. I want to apologise here and now, before the people, for not being a successful agent. In 2004, the European Union regarded Russia as a strategic partner. People responsible for the eastern direction in EU policy willingly came to the EU-Russia forums I held and thanked me for organising them. Ten years on, an official change of wording in relation to Russia from ‘partnership and cooperation’ to ‘critical engagement’ took place. Still, we insisted it will be impossible to solve the conflict around Ukraine if the EU works against Russia. Now, two decades on, the world is losing its chance for peace. In Russian, the concepts of the world and peace are denoted by one word: mir. I am an agent for ... (The President cut off the speaker)