MED Members Sign Joint Letter to Congress

“Current developments demonstrate the importance of raising as many voices as possible to support the Iran Pact. I am definitely not a fan of the Iranian government but further escalation is the last thing needed in the Middle East right now. The 2015 Iran nuclear deal is one of the very few rays of hope for de-escalation in the region – we must not destroy it! And I hope that our voices will be heard in Congress.”– Dieter Janecek, The Greens, Germany

In their letter to Congress, the signatories argue that “building coalitions and winning consensus is one of our main tasks as members of our respective Parliaments. We therefore urge you to stand by the coalition we have formed to keep Iran‘s nuclear threat at bay”.

“The Iranian Nuclear Deal is pivotal to securing a long-lasting, effective resolution to the long running problems in the middle east. Diplomacy is one of the most effective tools in bringing an end to conflict, worldwide. It is essential, if we wish to see peace, that diplomatic efforts are given primacy. That is one of the reasons that I signed the joint Parliamentary letter to Congress. We – Europe, the United States and the international community generally – must continue to take the lead on this issue and that must include retaining, and working on expanding, the existing nuclear deal with Iran. Ripping up the deal and trying to re-write it will set the process back by years, possibly a full generation. The Iranian nuclear deal was a labour of hard work that took 13 years to achieve. A supremely challenging job was rewarded with the final deal being approved. It would be counter-intuitive for that historic deal to be disassembled at the stroke of a pen – risking nuclear proliferation, regional destabilisation and potential fragmentation of the coalition that oversaw the creation of the nuclear deal.”  – Stephen Gethins, Scottish National Party, United Kingdom

“Since the election of the U.S. President, I have been following with great concern his attempts to end the Iran nuclear deal. I am afraid this would be a large step back for the region and Israel’s security. But on this question, Donald Trump also faces pressure from the side of Congress. And this is why we considered it the right and necessary step to write to our colleagues in Congress a cross-parliamentary and cross-party letter to inform them about our viewpoint. I hope that this will contribute to maintaining this important agreement.” – Stefan Liebich, The Left Party, Germany

As the MED network aims to help Members of Parliament to explore new ways of cooperation with their colleagues from Europe, we are delighted to see that initiatives like these strengthen the voice and role that national parliaments hold in current European and international affairs.

If you are a Member of Parliament in the EU and interested in initiating a cross-border conversation with your colleagues in Europe, apply to benefit from our micro-grant opportunities that can make your ideas come to life. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.