Terry Reintke, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Commission President, dear colleagues, in these times of tectonic geopolitical changes, this European Council must send a clear signal. The European Union is a reliable and a strong partner for all those people in the world that are longing for democracy, for peace and for freedom. It is an honour that President Zourabichvili addressed the House this morning at such a crucial moment for Georgia, and I expect also this clear signal of solidarity from the European Council.

We stand by the side of all Georgians who are fighting for freedom, for democracy and for a European future. Because Georgia's future lies within the European Union, and we strongly condemn the recent attacks on democracy, election violations and repression against peaceful protesters and independent media.

And the President said it here: it is very often EU flags that are in the streets when people are protesting for their European future and for democracy. So it is on us not to let these protesters down.

And this is why the EU must introduce targeted sanctions against leading political figures that were responsible for the repression. Georgia needs new elections with international election observations, and we call on the EU to introduce a special envoy for Georgian European relations.

And at the same time, we will not forget the people of Moldova, who also seek peace and freedom within the European Union and who are facing a difficult winter ahead of them.

The European Council should also reassure the Syrian people. The EU will help to turn your hope for a free and safe Syria for all into reality. A peaceful transfer of power is now most urgent, and we must provide acute humanitarian aid for Syrians because the difficult times are not over yet. We have to hold mass murderer Assad and his torture masters accountable for their crimes against their own people. Syria is a real defeat for Russia by abandoning his protégé Assad, Putin demonstrated his own weakness before the eyes of the world. His great power ambitions have failed in Syria. And trust me, colleagues, these great power ambitions will also fail in Ukraine.

We also see that, with the new US President coming in, the challenges also to the west of Europe are not becoming smaller. We want the European Council, especially against the backdrop of what is happening in January in the US, to deliver on our promise towards Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine as long as it takes until Russia's invasion fails, until peace on Ukraine's terms becomes reality.

Whether we look westwards to the US, to the Middle East or to Eastern Europe, the only certainty right now is uncertainty. And the European Union can and has to be an anchor of stability, of democracy, of human rights, and of the hope of all those people who want to live in a peaceful world. Let us be with this Parliament, the beacon of hope for those who are longing for democracy, peace and freedom.