(L-R) Ambassador Vladimír Bärtl, Jean Asselborn;
Credit: Chronicle.lu
On Friday 8 December 2023, the Czech Ambassador to Luxembourg, Vladimír Bärtl, hosted a breakfast lunch on the occasion of International Human Rights Day which is being observed this Sunday, 10 December 2023.
Present were the Spanish Ambassador, a representative of the Belgian Embassy, the Head of EU Representation in Luxembourg, Anne Calteux, and Luxembourg's former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean Asselborn.
Jean Asselborn addressed the breakfast meeting and referenced the two significant events of 24 February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and 7 October 2023, when Hamas struck Israel. In his address, he mentioned the "Force contre le droit" (forces against the law) and explained that since the Second World War, we have been fighting for freedom, democracy, etc. He referenced the elections in Poland in 2015 and stressed that, overall, democracy is the most important and fundamental issue for human rights. He also referenced freedom of the press being central to democracy.
On Ukraine, he stated that (with Joe Biden as President of the US) if Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine, he will not stop there, and will be very dangerous for the freedom of our children. He also mentioned the upcoming elections in Russia on 17 March 2024, stressing that these are "not true" (democratic) elections.
On a question from Chronicle.lu, he said that if Donald Trump were to win next year's US Presidential election, he suspects that Trump would strike a deal with Putin that, simplistically, would see Russia retain the territory gained from Ukraine, with Ukraine joining the UN (and the EU).
On the Israel-Palestine war, he denounced Hamas as terrorists and added that Israel may not stop at international borders. He said the solution must be a political one, defending democracy. In this context, he described Benjamin Netanyahu as an extremist and said that Palestine is being flattened.
