The Interparliamentary Union

Serkan Köse (S)

Mr. Speaker! We are considering the Committee on Foreign Affairs' report on the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the activities of the Riksdag's delegation during the year. Formally, Mr. Speaker, the report concerns the activities of a parliamentary delegation. But in the difficult times we live in, it is ultimately about something significantly greater. It is about the strength of democracy in a time when it is challenged in many places in the world, about the role of parliaments when authoritarian forces advance their positions, and about the responsibility of elected representatives when war, threats, hatred, and disinformation attempt to silence free speech. Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, it is about holding fast to international law when it is trampled upon, to human dignity when people are reduced to pawns in the game of power, and to dialogue when the world cries out for confrontation.

Mr. Speaker! The interparliamentary work during the year has been characterized by an increasingly darker global development. Russia's brutal and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine continues to claim human lives and cause suffering. It is a war against an independent country, but also an attack on international law, on the European security order, and on the principle that every people has the right to shape its own future. In the interparliamentary work, the Swedish delegation has repeatedly stood up for Ukraine, for Ukraine's parliament, and for the Ukrainian delegation. We have signaled against Russia's violation of international law and defended Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have been and are clear that Russia must leave Ukraine, that Ukraine's freedom must be defended, and that international law must apply.

Mr. Speaker! At the same time, the situation in the Middle East has continued to cause enormous human suffering. I am clear that terrorism must be condemned, that civilians must be protected, and that international law must be respected. But above all, every human life must count. The human suffering in Gaza, in Israel, and in the entire region must be taken most seriously. When children die, when families are torn apart, when people are forced to flee from their homes, and when hatred risks being passed on to the next generation, we cannot be satisfied with silence. Then more voices are needed for peace, international law, and human rights – more voices saying that Palestinian and Israeli children have the same right to grow up in safety, in freedom, and in peace.

Mr. Speaker! It is precisely in this dark time that inter-parliamentary work becomes so important. When governments do not speak with one another, we parliamentarians can still meet. When conflicts lock positions, we elected representatives can continue to remind people of the humans behind the statistics. When the world is divided into camps, the inter-parliamentary meetings and the inter-parliamentary work can create small but important bridges, Mr. Speaker. Inter-parliamentary work is therefore not just about conferences, resolutions, and formal meetings. It is ultimately about something deeply human: that people can meet, listen, and argue without destroying one another, and that politics ultimately should be an alternative to violence.

Mr. Speaker! The report also raises several other issues that have characterized the work during the year: violations of parliamentarians, international terrorism, equality, sustainable development, youth participation in democracy, and the parliaments' role in issues concerning science, research, and artificial intelligence. The Inter-Parliamentary Union today follows hundreds of cases where elected parliamentarians around the world are subjected to threats, imprisonment, and human rights violations. It reminds us that democracy can be weakened not only through war but also when elected representatives are silenced and oppositional voices are forced into silence.

Mr. Speaker! Democracy is also threatened when women in politics are met with hate and threats, when young people see no place for themselves in democracy, and when facts lose ground to lies. That is why inter-parliamentary cooperation is needed, that is why the IPU is needed, and that is why Sweden's voice is needed in these contexts.

Mr. Speaker! I also want to highlight the Nordic and Baltic cooperation. In an increasingly uncertain world, cooperation between democracies in our neighborhood is more important than it has been in a long time. Sweden, our Nordic neighbors, and our Baltic friends know that freedom is never a given. We know that security, democracy, and cohesion must be built every day. And we know that our voice becomes stronger when we stand together.

Mr. Speaker! I also want to say something about the Swedish delegation that is not in the report. In a time when much in politics is characterized by harsh conflicts, the work in the Swedish IPU delegation has been characterized by respect, seriousness, and good cooperation across party lines. When we represent Sweden internationally, we do not only represent our parties.

We represent the Swedish Parliament, Swedish democracy, and the people who have given us the trust to sit here. I would therefore like to extend a warm thanks to all the members of the delegation for the good cooperation over the years.

I also want to thank the delegation's chair, Margareta Cederfelt, for a secure, inclusive and committed leadership and for her great commitment to the parliamentary cooperation.

Mr. Speaker! A delegation never functions well solely through the elected representatives. Behind every trip, every meeting, every resolution, every negotiation, and every international context, there is work that is rarely visible outwardly but which is absolutely crucial.

Therefore, I would like to extend a special thanks to the Riksdag's International Office and all the officials who have carried out the delegation's work with professionalism, expertise, and commitment. I would also like to thank all the spokespersons for the support I have received throughout all these years.

Mr. Speaker! I want to extend a special thanks to Björn Sondén and Ralph Hermansson. You, Ralph and Björn, have with your calm, your experience and your great expertise been invaluable for us members and for Sweden's work in the IPU. You have contributed to Sweden being able to act prepared, seriously and credibly in international contexts.

Mr. Speaker! This is probably my last speech as a member of the Riksdag after twelve years in the Swedish Parliament. It is difficult to put into words what it means.

When I came to Sweden as a ten-year-old from a Kurdish village a couple of thousand kilometers from here, I could never imagine that one day I would stand here in the Swedish Riksdag. I could never imagine that I would get to represent the Swedish people or represent the Swedish Riksdag internationally in meetings with parliamentarians from all over the world.

Mr. Speaker! My journey has gone from a small village via the suburb of Fittja along the subway's red line to the Swedish Parliament. That journey has never just been my own. It is about what democracy can mean when it functions at its best.

A child who comes to a new country can go to school, learn the language, get involved, organize, take up space and ultimately be part of shaping society. That is the Sweden I believe in, and that is the Sweden I love. That is the conviction I have carried with me in my international work.

Regardless of whether one is in Stockholm, Tashkent, Istanbul, Geneva or New York, politics is fundamentally about the same thing, Mr. Speaker. It is human dignity, freedom, democracy, justice and people's right to live a dignified life.

Mr. Speaker! I leave the Riksdag with pride. I am proud that I have been allowed to represent the Swedish people and proud to have represented the Swedish Riksdag internationally through the IPU.

(cont. § 8)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)