51 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2021/2230(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
— having regard to its recommendation of 19 June 2020 on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the June 2020 Summit,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas since the collapse of the Soviet Unionover more than three decades, the Nagorno-Karabakh war and the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan have resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas periodical deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue; whereas the 9 November 2020 ceasefire agrestatement, introduced after the 44-day war triggered by Azerbaijan in 2020, has been violated several times resulting in more casualties;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the 44-day war resulted in 3825 human casualties on the Armenian side and 203 people are still missing, including civilians; whereas as of September 2022 breaches of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijan further resulted in human casualties on the Armenian side, both military and civilian; whereas the Armenian authorities reported that the military aggression of September 2022 left 201 people dead, both military and civilian and 27 are missing;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas according to the 9 November 2020 ceasefire statement the parties have committed to remain in their positions of that day, exchange prisoners of war and other detainees, and unblock all economic and transport connections in the region;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas Russian peacekeeping forces were deployed along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin Corridor following the 2020 war with a 5-year stabilisation mandate but have failed to act on several occasions to stop the break-out of hostilities;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas Azerbaijani military actions follow the worrying statements by Azerbaijani authorities referring to the territory of the Republic of Armenia as Azerbaijani ancestral land and threatening to use force;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
Bc. whereas on 12 September 2022 Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale attack on Armenian internationally recognised sovereign territory in the east and south-east of the country;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires that all violence cease and that all the root causes of conflict be addressed, so as to ensure the long-term stability of bilateral relations and of the wider region as a whole, in line with international law and in the spirit of good neighbourly relations;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas on 20 October 2022 the EU dispatched a temporary civilian monitoring mission, called EU Monitoring Capacity, on the Armenian side of the internationally recognized border between Armenia and Azerbaijan;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas Russia’s militarywar of aggression against Ukraine has had implications for the South Caucasus and has further complicated the security situation in the region;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine has had implications for the South Caucasus and has further complicated the security situation in the region;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas Armenia is targeted by disinformation from neighbouring countries, in particular Russian media outlets, as Armenian news outlets mostly rely on Russia as news sources and agencies;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas Armenia is the target of Azerbaijani information operations, in particular with the aim of harassing social media users and disseminating false information;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict, which over the years has caused immense suffering and destruction, has significantly hampered the socio-economic development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a durable and sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s 2009 Basic Principles; calls on the international community to remain seized of this conflict which is a matter of stability and security of the whole region;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict, which over the years has caused immense suffering and destruction, has significantly hampered the socio-economic development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a durable and sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means and the threat of use of force but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s 2009 Basic Principles;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Strongly condemns the large-scale military attackggression by Azerbaijan in September 2022 against multiple targets in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and its consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must be fully respected andcalls that this follows violations of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia as reported in May and November 2021; reiterates that the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia must be fully respected and the Azerbaijani forces should withdraw to their initial positions; underlines the EU’'s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’'s protracted conflicts;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Strongly condemns the large-scale military attackggression by Azerbaijan in September 2022 against multiple targets in the sovereign territory of Armenia and its consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must be fully respected andcalls that this follows the incursions into the territorial integrity of Armenia in May and November 2021; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia must be fully respected in line with international law and the UN Charter, and the Azerbaijani forces should withdraw to their initial positions; underlines the EU’s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’s protracted conflicts;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Deplores the significant loss of life, damage and destruction; notes in particular, that the attack has resulted in nearly 300 deaths, of which 210 were Armenian servicemen and civilians, and that at least 7600 civilians were displaced from the Armenian provinces of Vayots Dzor, Syunik and Gegharkunik according to the Armenian Ombudsperson’s office;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020 and condemns Azerbaijan for regular violations of the ceasefire; recalls that the implementation of article 9 of the ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 cannot go against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia; calls on both Parties to urgently implement measures to prepare their respective populations for peaceful coexistence; calls in this respect on the Azerbaijani authorities to avoidstop using inflammatory rhetoric which threatens to undermine the peace process;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. To achieve lasting peace and reconciliation, calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to set up a transitional justice mechanism or truth commission, which the EU could support and help facilitate in conjunction with other bodies such as the ICRC or OSCE, to look into all alleged crimes committed during the armed conflict starting in 1988 until now; such a mechanism could include members of academia, independent journalists and civil society activists with a mandate to establish the fate of missing persons, repatriation of prisoners of war, and invest in establishing historical truths, eliminate hateful narratives and build trust between the two nations;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the EU’s passive stance during and immediately after the 2020 war gave other regional actors, such as Russia and Turkey, the opportunity to gain influence; strongly supports, therefore, the initiative taken by the President of the European Council Charles Michel to convene and mediate bilateral meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels and encourages the work on the ground of the EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia; deplores however that Azerbaijan did not respect its commitment to the EU and has invaded the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia few days after the meeting with the President of the Council; urges the governments of both countries to fully engage in the drafting of a peace treaty and welcomes in this regard the meetings of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the EU’s passive stance during and immediately after the 2020 war gave other regional actors, such as Russia and Turkey, the opportunity to gain influence; strongly supports, therefore, the initiative taken by the President of the European Council Charles Michel to convene and mediate bilateral meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels and encourages the work on the ground of the EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia; highlights the importance of continued close engagement by the EU and the EU-led mediation format in order to prevent further attacks and bring a peaceful resolution of the conflict; urges the governments of both countries to fully engage in the drafting of a peace treaty and welcomes in this regard the meetings of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes note of the initial discussions on the process of border delimitation; welcomes the agreement to deploy a civilian EU mission to build trust and contribute to the border commissions; Welcomes the agreement reached at the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, French President Macron and President of the European Council Michel to deploy a civilian EU mission of 40 EU civilian monitoring experts for a period of two months in order to build trust between the two countries and support the work of the border commissions; welcomes in this respect the holding of the 3rd meeting of the border commissions in Brussels and urges the EU to closely follow up on this process;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes note of the initial discussions on the process of border delimitation; welcomes the agreement to deploy a civilian EU mission to build trust and contribute to the border commissionscalls for the demarcation process to be internationally facilitated by the EU and/or OSCE in order to ensure credibility, fairness and sustainability;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the deployment of the EU Monitoring Capacity to Armenia to build trust and contribute to the border commissions, especially welcomes the approach to transfer EU monitoring experts from the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia as a timely and experience-sharing solution; calls for extending the mandate of the EU Monitoring Capacity, making it permanent and increasing significantly the number of monitors so that it can effectively perform its monitoring, confidence-building, and stabilisation functions along the border between the two countries;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reiterates that the transport communication between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic should be ensured in line with the 9 November 2020 ceasefire statement and under sovereign control of the Republic of Armenia; suggests therefore that the notion of so-called "Zangezur corridor" or the Azerbaijani idea of an extraterritorial route be abandoned;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Calls for granting of access to international humanitarian organisations, especially the United Nations, to Nagorno-Karabakh and recalls that currently only the ICRC is allowed access to the region, which is insufficient to accurately assess the conditions and needs of the population residing there;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Given the significant power imbalance between the sides, highlights the importance of international mediation in any direct talks between Baku and Stepanakert, and the EU’s particularly important role in this context to ensure a fair agreement and the protection of the rights of the Nagorno-Karabakh population;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6c. Notes that with the expiration of the peacebuilding mandate of Russian forces in three years, a new peacekeeping presence should be assured on the ground, and stresses the need that this be an international peacekeeping mission;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes that at least 33 Armenian prisoners of war whose whereabouts are confirmed by Azerbaijan continue to be in detention in Azerbaijan; regrets, however, that the fate and whereabouts of over 200 Armenians, including 20 civilians, in relation to the 2020 war continue to be unknown; notes that in relation to at least 18 missing persons, the UN working group on enforced disappearances has started procedures and requested information from Azerbaijan;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns the footages that hasve appeared depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; calls for a full independent and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions; stresses that those acts are in violation of the Geneva conventions which were ratified by Azerbaijan and may constitute war crimes;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Condemns the footage that has appeared from 1 to 11 October 2022 depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; takes note of reports by human rights groups, particularly a Human Rights Watch report, classifying this act as a war crime; calls for a full and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. CStrongly condemns the footage that has appeared depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; calls for a full and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible for these war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law, and hold them fully accountable for their actions;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refCondemns Azerbaijan's continued policy of destroying, erasin from destroying cultural, religious or historical heritage; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to quickly allow a UNESCO mission to visit both countries without preconditg and denying the existence of the Armenian cultural, religious or historical heritage in and around Nagorno Karabakh in violation of international law and the decision of the International Court of Justice of 7 December 2021; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on the EU to actively push Azerbaijan to participate in efforts to protect at-risk cultural heritage notably by deploring mechanisms to facilitate UNESCO's fact finding mission without preconditions; deplores that after two years since the signing of the ceasefire statement of November 9 2020 the UNESCO mission has not been able to visit the regions;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refrain from destroying or altering the origins of cultural, religious or historical heritage; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to quickly allow a UNESCO mission to visit both countries without preconditions; takes note of Armenia’s expressed readiness to receive such a mission;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Encourages increased bilateral contacts between the political authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan and underlines the role played by the civil societies of both countries in improving relationships between the two countries;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Supports the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey and welcomes the progress achieved so far; calls for the speedy implementation of agreements reached by the special representativesommends the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia with regard to the resumption of flights between the two countries; considers this attempt a highly positive development which has a positive impact on prosperity and security in the region; calls for the speedy implementation of agreements reached by the special representatives; encourages both sides to pursue these efforts with a view to fully normalising their relations and calls for the EU to actively support this process; encourages Turkey to pave the way for genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples, and to fully respect its obligations to protect Armenian cultural heritage; expresses the hope that this may lead to a dynamic of normalisation of relations in the South Caucasus; presses Turkey, once again, to recognise the Armenian Genocide; calls on both sides to engage in the process in good faith and without preconditions;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. CRecalls that the clauses of the Collective Security Treaty Organization were not activated either during the 2020 war or last September despite Armenian requests; calls on Armenia to consider diversifying its security partnerships, as its long-standing reliance on Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization has proved insufficient;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on Armenia to consider diversifying and intensifying its security partnerships with its regional and Euro- Atlantic partners, as its long-standing reliance on Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization has proved insufficient;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes Iran's interest in preventing the construction of new transport communications linking the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan, as agreed in the ceasefire statement of 9 November, which, if succeeded, would have a significant impact on the prospects of a peace agreement; draws the attention of the Armenian authorities to the risks of cooperating with the Iranian authoritarian regime, which, amongst other crimes and violations, is the supplier of the military equipment that is used by Russia in the war of aggression against Ukraine;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Highlights in particular the need for stronger action in the area of judicial reform and fight against corruption, including to ensure a balanced mechanism for the election of key judicial positions, to carry out non-politicised and merit-based vetting of the judiciary through a professional commission, consisting of legal experts nominated by different institutions and representatives of civil society, to develop a new anti- corruption reform strategy and action plan in line with recommendations by OECD and the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), to publicise the concluding part of the Corruption Prevention Commission’s (CPC) decisions regarding the integrity checks of candidates for judges and candidates for key public positions, to introduce a comprehensive electronic procurement system with an independent verification mechanism to check the profiles of participants in tenders, beneficial owners and (possible) cases of conflict of interest, to provide the CPC with access to the electronic procurement system in order to scrutinise for conflict of interests and affiliations with public officials;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on all political actors in the country to continue carrying out the necessary reforms aimed at strengthening the rule of law, media freedom and the independence of the judiciary, while ensuring the full respect of democratic principles and human rights;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Is concerned about the relentless Russian disinformation campaigns in Armenia, that spread into the Armenian medias and on social media platforms targeting the European Union and the West in general; calls on the EEAS to work together with Armenian authorities to fight against disinformation, particularly by supporting efforts to train and improve the diversity of the media sector and contribute to an increased level of media literacy in Armenia;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Welcomes Armenia's efforts regarding its human rights and anti- corruption reforms; regrets, however, that Armenia is lagging behind in the defence of LGBTIQ rights and is concerned about the situation in the country; urges the Armenian authorities to uphold and promote the LGBTQI rights in its legislation and calls on the EU to support Armenia in this process;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that over the last 10 years, the volume of Armenia-EU bilateral trade has been increasing and calls on the Commission to take the necessary steps to further strengthen economic and trade cooperation with Armenia;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Calls for advancing discussions on an EU-Armenia visa liberalisation scheme to support people-to-people contacts, closer bilateral ties, and reform progress;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Reiterates its concerns regarding the ongoing operation of the Metsamor nuclear power plant; calls for the swift adoption of a road map or action plan for the closure and safe decommissioning of the plantWelcomes the safety and security improvements made to Metsamor nuclear power plant; encourages Armenian authorities to continue to closely work with the IAEA;