Today (Thursday), experts and interested parties were invited to a technical debate in the European Parliament. The event was prepared and hosted by the left group of the EP, GUE/NGL, and in cooperation with the EU-Turkey Civic Commission and the Kurdish Institute in Brussels.

During the four-hour conference, Iranian writers, academics, activists and politicians from both Iran and the diaspora reported on the problems of various minorities in Iran; the challenges, conflicts and tensions within Iranian society; and the additional difficulties caused by the power struggle on the Persian respectively the Arabian Gulf. Martina Michels (DIE LINKE.), a member of the two EP delegations for both relations with Turkey and for the relations with Israel, opened the event and comments on the political and social situation in Iran:

 

"Short-winded reviews from a cozy European perspective do not help anyone. As a left-leaning MEP, I fundamentally support calls for better living conditions, worldwide, and, of course, in Iran as well, as long as these demands are carried out non-violently on the streets and provided they are not played against women and minority rights. Freedom rights are indivisible."

 

"We cannot overlook the fact that Donald Trump is once again dreaming of a 'regime change'. By interfering in this way he plays into Khamenei's conspiracy theories and fuels the threat of war. Democratic forces, on the other hand, have to speak up now - without making common cause with the most conservative forces in Iran. Iranians can take the solution of their conflicts into their own hands and at the same time they need our solidarity. It's like everywhere: Turkey is more than Erdoğan and Iran is more than Rohani and Khamenei. Many protesters make little difference in their dissatisfaction with Rohani or Khamenei. Both try to absorb the resistance of ordinary people in their power struggle, and let's not forget that Rohani's recent plans also included an termination of the privileges for religious foundations."

 

"The Kurdish Institute has asked me to open this event because, as a member of the EU-Turkey delegation, I have been experiencing for years that resolving the 'Kurdish issue' is a key to democratizing the so-called Middle East. On the other hand, we have been experiencing for years that all nationalist conflicts, whether in Turkey, Syria, Iraq or Iran, mostly hurt the right of self-determination of Kurds."

 

"Last but not least, I urge the German government - which traditionally has very close ties to Iran, as well as the EU does - to do everything to ensure that new military interventions do not have a chance; that the nuclear agreement is strictly adhered to and that sanctions are lifted in order to restore an equal international law dialogue. That would be an honest support for the demonstrations and at the same time a clear policy towards Rohani."

 

 

The list of speakers, and from tomorrow also the video recording, can be found here in the next days.

 

 

 

Member of the European Parliament

00 32 228 45834

00 33 388 1 75834

martina-michels.de

@martina_michels