all wrongful acts committed by Russia in and against Ukraine would be properly investigated, prosecuted, and punished, and for justice to be done. He said that the Summit should also strongly support an ad hoc tribunal for the crime of aggression, and establish a unique “Register for Damages” within the Council of Europe, in what would be the very first accountability mechanism for the consequences of Russia’s aggression, set up by the international community. (There was a single round of applause from the audience). Mr KOX said that he had learned many, many member States and states outside Europe would already accede to that partial agreement of the Council of Europe, which was truly a success. He also emphasised that the Summit would set forward a much needed, broad, and forward-looking agenda recommitting its member States to the values, principles, and standards of the Council of Europe. This would come out in the Final Statement. He said the Reykjavík List of Principles for Democracy would help the Parliamentary Assembly hold their governments accountable for maintaining and promoting democracy in the whole of Europe. The Summit would launch the work on restoring, strengthening, and where needed, reinventing rules-based multilateralism as the best possible answer against aggressive unilateralism. Mr KOX said the Parliamentary Assembly’s continuous call for democratic security in Europe was now heard by their Heads of State and Government, and would be shown during the Summit. At the opening of the Parliamentary Assembly Standing Committee meeting in November 2022, Mr KOX reminded the room that he urged all present that when embarking on the #RoadToReykjavík, to work relentlessly in co-operation with their governments, to arrive here in time with meaningful results. Mr KOX revealed that he was happy and proud on this day, to say that they had succeeded in this mission. The next step was to follow closely what their Heads of State and Government would finally conclude and propose, and to start an evaluation during the next Standing Committee in Riga the following week. He thanked the room once again for being there, where the #RoadToReykjavík was now due to end. The road to their future travel to greater unity in Europe, based on justice and international co-operation, would start from now. He thanked the room and handed the floor to Mr Birgir ÁRMANNSSON, the Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament, to a round of applause. 2. Welcome address by Mr Birgir Ármannsson, Speaker of Alþingi – Parliament of Iceland Mr Birgir ÁRMANNSSON, Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament, addressed: Mr Tiny KOX, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; the Foreign Minister of Iceland; members of the Standing Committee; the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; and guests. He said it was a great pleasure to welcome the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to Iceland for the second time in less than six months. It was unusual, he said, but the reason was twofold. Firstly, it was seen fit to have a meeting of the parliamentary representatives in the lead-up to the Summit of the Council of Europe. Secondly, he pointed out they were living in extraordinary times, with extraordinary challenges in Europe. For almost 15 months, he said, an illegal war of territorial conquest was being waged on Ukrainian soil. He commended the resilience and bravery of the people of Ukraine, saying it was admired by them. He strongly condemned the illegal and brutal invasion by the Russian Federation. The previous Friday, 12 May, Mr ÁRMANNSSON had had the pleasure of meeting the Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ms Olena Kondratiuk, at the Icelandic Parliament Alþingi. Three weeks prior, he had met Mr Ruslan STEFANCHUK, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, in Prague. Mr ÁRMANNSSON said the support that Ukraine needed could be yielded in many ways; he noted that the Parliamentary Assembly had contributed to supporting Ukraine, with numerous resolutions and other actions, the most recent being Resolution 2495 (2023) on the “deportations and forcible transfers of Ukrainian children and other civilians to the Russian Federation or to Ukrainian territories temporarily occupied”.

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