Nirj Deva, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, we sit today in a post—conflict Parliament. Decades ago we sat down, talked and found a way to peace and reconciliation in Europe. This is what the EU is about.
In Asia, astonishingly, the Korean War is not over. For the last 64 years we have failed to get out of a state of war and sign a peace regime. Because security and prosperity in the EU is closely linked to peace in Asia, together we urgently need to bring the Korean Peninsula from an armistice into a post—conflict phase through a peace regime. Nuclear weapons are now a part of the Korean regime’s self-identity. It considers them as essential to its survival, not only as deterrent weapons – it has learned a lesson from Gaddafi and Hussein – but also as legitimacy weapons. This must be made a transitional position, and denuclearisation must remain our medium-term objective.
Violations of the UN Security Council resolutions inevitably lead to sanctions: that is a given. Yet sanctions alone will not lead to denuclearisation nor to peace. Sanctions must come with optimistic diplomacy. Optimistic diplomacy believes that we all want – including the North Koreans – to live in peaceful coexistence. I am now happy that President Moon, Chancellor Merkel and many European leaders recognise the importance of diplomacy, a course of action I have been urging for the past three years, having had 42 meetings with North Koreans, South Koreans, Chinese, Americans and Japanese. I congratulate Mrs Mogherini on what she has been doing recently in Asia.
My intention now is to go to North Korea in my private capacity to listen in the pursuit of a peace regime to help the EU. Colleagues, I need your support and your blessings. It is our public duty as public servants to ensure global peace. United we must act.