When in doubt, stand with the victim, not the aggressor
On October 24, 2024, Riga, the Third Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform was held in Riga, the capital of Latvia, gathering over 70 delegations, including 36 heads of parliaments, both in-person and online.
The summit participants discussed current challenges related to the occupation of Crimea, human rights violations in the occupied territories, and the international response to Russia’s actions.
ZMINA publishes the speech of Szymon Hołownia, Speaker of the Sejm of Poland, at the Third Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform.
Dear colleagues, thank you very much for inviting us all for this assembly.
People often say about meetings like this that they are all about words. But words are crucial, because everything begins with words. Words we speak guide the actions of governments, presidents, and military forces.
That’s why our most important task today is to send proper words to the world from this very place. We must speak words of respect, not words of hatred; words of love, not words of violence. We must ensure we are in the right place with the right words in our minds and on our lips, because the whole world listens to us, and our governments and presidents will follow what we say today.
We represent not only the voices of our parliaments but also speak for the voiceless. I specifically refer to the Parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people, which Russian occupants forcibly silenced and abolished.
Read also: Russia’s іmperial ambitions: How control of Crimea shapes the future of Eastern Europe
Right now and right here we need to state simple words and simple truths for all people in the world who want to hear. The first truth is that this war started in 2014. We ignored the first eight years of it.
The second thing is Crimea is Ukraine.
The third truth is Russia’s current actions in Crimea constitute a crime against humanity.
Read also: Russia’s forced demographic changes in Crimea violate international law – Amnesty International
The fourth truth is what Russia, what Soviet Russia did in 1944 [deportation of the Crimean Tatar people] was genocide. Poland passed a bill this summer confirming it. I encourage your parliaments to do the same in the near future.
The fifth truth is Ukraine should join NATO as soon as possible.
And sixth, I especially dedicate this to all the leaders meeting right now in Kazan, Russia – just a simple message: If you don’t know where to stand, always stand with the victim. Always stand with the harmed, not with the aggressor.
And the seventh thing, people tell us – and perhaps we feel this way, and Ukrainian people certainly have more right to this feeling than we do – that we’ve grown fatigued by this war, that we’re tired of thinking about it, of planning our actions around it. But we must never tire, never stop helping Ukraine. Patience, persistence, and consequence.
This is the formula for peace in Europe and the formula for ensuring safety for the next generation of European citizens. Ukraine is Europe. Ukraine already belongs to the NATO family because it fights on the right side.
They fight for our own values.
Слава Україні!
