Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea (ALDE). – Madam President, five months ago we awarded the Sakharov Prize to Nadia Murad to draw attention to the religious minority of the Yazidis, which has been the subject of a genocidal campaign by Daesh militants, but the senseless and heartless brutality of Daesh continues. The slaughter of Christians in Egypt, which we are debating today, once again disfigures the face of humanity, as Pope Francis correctly warned this week.

Ms Mogherini, I thank you for the strong comments you made today. I support you and hope your actions will be successful. Respect for fundamental and human rights is the core value of the European Union. Any violation of these rights, whether within or outside the EU, affects the democratic principles upon which our society is founded. All minorities, religious, ethnic or sexual, deserve our unstinting protection.