The European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg has opened a debate on the accusations of Latvian MEP Tatyana Zhdanok of collaboration with Russian secret services, with Zhdanok giving a defiant speech on Tuesday, the 6th of February, claiming that she has always worked only for peace, reports Politico.
“Yes, I am an agent, an agent for peace, an agent for a Europe without fascism, for the rights of minorities, an agent for a united Europe from Lisbon to the Urals,” she said, addressing the plenary in English.
“And I want to apologise to the people here and now for not having been a successful agent,” she added, regretting the sad state of relations between Russia and the European Union (EU).
In the debate, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas stressed that Russia is using disinformation as a weapon in its war of aggression against Ukraine, distorting facts and spreading false allegations.
“I believe it is the duty of this Parliament to investigate
who else did what, under what conditions, to play Moscow’s game,” he said, describing Zhdanok’s accusations as “deeply worrying”.
“The confirmation that Tatyana Zhdanok is an agent of the Russian FSB comes as no surprise to us, the MEPs elected from Latvia, or to the Latvian public. What is shocking in this “Russiagate” is the naivety and vulnerability of the EU institutions towards Russian agents who operate using democratic values – freedom of expression, respect for different opinions and tolerance,” said MEP Sandra Kalniete, speaking in the EP debate.
On Thursday, the 8th of February, the EP will vote on a resolution underlining the need to strengthen the EP’s internal security systems against Russian interference and to prevent Russian agents of influence from using EP resources to disseminate hostile and harmful content, which is particularly important in the context of a hybrid war.
MEP Sandra Kalniete is one of the authors of the resolution and represented the European People’s Party in the negotiations on the content of the resolution, defending the position that
the names of Russian influence agents should be made public and their activities should be exposed.
“Tatjana Ždanoka is not the only one who, in Strasbourg and Brussels and in the capitals of EU Member States, is smoothly pursuing a policy of Russian interference aimed at undermining the unity of our society, spreading hatred, creating distrust in European values, and promoting populism and extremism. The network of Russian agents of influence in Europe is vast and toxic. The Kremlin has inherited it from the Soviet Union and has successfully developed it by bringing in EU political elites – Schröder, Lipponen, Fillon and other MEPs and heads of various local authorities,” said Kalniete.
Speaking in the EP, Sandra Kalniete stressed that since Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the EU has been increasingly exposed to a wide range of hybrid attacks. The presence of such foreign agents in the EP and other institutions of our democracy therefore poses significant risks to our security and credibility.
“I call on the EP to investigate
promptly and thoroughly cases where MEPs have used their mandate to support an aggressor state and to decisively apply all means to prevent such activities in the future. Our resources cannot be used to undermine EU values and to support authoritarian regimes,” the MEP concluded.
Also read: Ex-Minister of Interior: Zhdanok’s possible ties with FSB will not go without consequences
Also read: European Parliament to discuss news about Zhdanok’s possible ties to Russian FSB
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