"Multilateral organisations, such as the Council of Europe, play a critical role in promoting peace and stability," said Daniel Risch, Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, when addressing the Parliamentary Assembly.
"Multilateralism is one of our lifelines," he said, adding that the multilateral system faces multiple threats and that the core values of the Council of Europe - human rights, democracy and the rule of law - are increasingly challenged. Among these threats, he mentioned anti-democratic tendencies, growing nationalism and disregard of the rule of law and the rules-based international order.
The Prime Minister reiterated Liechtenstein's continued solidarity with Ukraine and its people and honoured their "unbreakable spirit".
"Those challenging our common commitments must be held accountable," he said. The Council of Europe has taken a further step towards ensuring Russia's accountability with the establishment of the Register of Damage for Ukraine. "There will be no peace without justice," he stressed.
Referring to the Reykjavik Summit in May 2023, he recalled that the Council of Europe Heads of State and Government stood together against Russia's aggressive power politics and sent an important and powerful signal in support of multilateralism.
In addition, the Prime Minister underlined that Liechtenstein's membership of the Council of Europe offered the opportunity to actively contribute to the development of new European standards and to the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law across Europe. It also allowed Liechtenstein to grow and progress with common standards, for example in fighting money laundering and terrorist financing.
Finally, Mr Risch underlined the importance of the European Court of Human Rights as the principle safeguard for protecting values and for guaranteeing that Europe remains a continent of democratic societies guided by the rule of law. "As member states we have the obligation to ensure effective and prompt execution of all judgements and to respect its case-law," he added.
