Prague, 11 July 2022

COSAC Chairpersons' Conference

The COSAC Chairpersons' Conference held on July 10-11 in Prague launched the parliamentary dimension of the Czech presidency. The Hellenic Parliament was represented by the Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on European Affairs, Dimitris Kairidis.

In his intervention during the first section of the conference on the Czech presidency's priorities, Mr. Kairidis reminded the duty of all democratic forces to support peace, also standing up against all intimidators wherever they may be. He commented that Putin is not the only wrongdoer, pointing out that Erdogan is copying his tactics, oppressing his own citizens, threatening Turkey's neighbours, exploiting migrants and refugees, and meddling in internal affairs in the Balkan region under the guise of protecting Muslim populations of South-Eastern Europe; in this light, he called on Europe to stand united and stable against all "thugs" and “bullies”.

In his second intervention during the section on "Media and democracy: current challenges", Mr Kairidis, wishing to highlight the role of the media in our democracies, invoked Winston Churchill’s saying, citing that there is no public opinion but only published opinion. He then referred to Thucydides, who attributed Athens' defeat during the Peloponnesian War to the decline of the Athenian democracy and not the military superiority of Sparta. The real threat to European democracy, he continued, is not the authoritarian regimes of the East, but the enemy within the walls, demagogues and populists, now posing as prime ministers. Closing, he recalled the role of the European Union as the "ultimate guardian" of the Rule of Law, also stressing the need to strengthen its control mechanisms against member states that do not comply with its principles and institutional framework.

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