Activities of Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ related to 2021/2231(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on EU-Azerbaijan relations
Amendments (22)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
— having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 c (new)
Citation 1 c (new)
— having regard to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 1984,
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the EU is committed toneeds to be committed and actively involved in promoting a South Caucasus region that is secure, stable, peaceful and prosperous;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy supplier of fossil fuels to the EU the South Caucasus is strategically placed in the global energy market, including the pipelines connecting Azerbaijand whereas it is becoming increasingly important in this roleith Turkey which are crucial for the European Union’s oil and natural gas supply;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is still unsatisfactoryappalling;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
Ha. whereas in Azerbeijan space for independent activism, critical journalism, and opposition political activity has been severely hampered as so many activists, human rights defenders, and journalists have been arrested and jailed, and laws and regulations restricting the activities of independent groups;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
Recital H b (new)
Hb. whereas Azerbaijan has a persistent human rights problem that includes torture, interference in the work and independence of lawyers, and restrictions on media freedoms;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid using inflammatory rhetoric and to implement measures to prepare their respective populations for peaceful coexistence in all its aspects; stresses the need to advance discussions on the future peace treaty and address the root causes of conflict; calls on all Armenia and Azerbaijan to urgently implement measures to prepare their respective populations for peaceful coexistence; calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to avoid using inflammatory rhetoric which threatens to undermine the peace process;
Amendment 143 #
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 influenceEmphasizes that since the February 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the context in the Caucasus region is changing as Russia's credibility and capacity in its roles as a party to the conflict, mediator and ultimate arbitrator have been damaged; notes with concern the destructive role of other actors, in particular Turkey; 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; 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; on 30 September in Geneva;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Welcomes the 3rd meeting of the Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s border commissions held on 3 November, 2022 in Brussels, that followed agreements reached at the highest level between the President of the European Council Charles Michel, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev during the trilateral meetings; Stresses the importance of holding such border commissions’ meetings more regularly in order to address all the border-related issues, improve the security situation and achieve progress on delimitation;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Notes with concern the fact that Azerbaijan resolutely refused to deploy the EU Monitoring Capacity along the Azerbaijani side of the international border with Armenia, the aim of which is to support confidence-building between the sides by monitoring the adherence to the ceasefire and report on the situation on the ground thus supporting the work of the border commissions and contributing to the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable peace and security in the South Caucasus region;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Calls on Azerbaijan to cooperate with the mission and not to hinder the further extension of the EU Monitoring Capacity along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Continues to be concerned about the fate of Armenian prisoners, both military and civilian, detained during and after the conflict and still held by Azerbaijan and welcomes the release of some of them; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all the remaining detainees, including those captured during the recent military confrontations, and for them to be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law; is concerned that Azerbaijan fails to fully implement the orders of the Court of Justice of 7 December 2021 and 12 October2022; insists that Azerbaijan will be held accountable for all atrocities committed against Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, consistent with the two Orders of the Court;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Strongly condemns Azerbaijan's continued policy of erasing and denying the Armenian cultural heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh: note that the erasure of the Armenian cultural heritage is part of a wider pattern of a systematic, state-level policy of historical revisionism, including the glorification of violence and territorial claims against the Republic of Armenia;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Recognises the strategic role played byNotes that Azerbaijan as a provider of fossil fuels to the EU and welcomes its willingness to contribute even more to the EU’s objecti; Highlights that the use of fossil fuel will only aggravate the current climate emergency we are living; Stresses that the EU should invest in terms of security and diversification of energy supply and climate neutralityrenewable energy in order to achieve its climate pledge;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. EmphasisNotes Azerbaijan’s potential as a producer of renewable energy; Highlights that Azerbeijan's position as a producer of energy does not give it carte blanche for the human rights violations its has been perpetuating;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Notes with concern serious press freedom issues, including misinformation and disinformation on social media, the limited financial Independence of private media, widespread anti-media rhetoric, and the prominence of media outlets that are affiliated with major political and commercial interests; Is seriously concerned with the crackdown on freedom of expression and the incarceration of the blogger Elchin Hasanzade and activist Ibrahim Salamov to eight months in prison on defamation charges, for corruption and other allegations they made against the head of Mingechevir city’s housing and maintenance department; Is deeply concerned with the report produced by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) where allegedly Azerbaijan has been spying on over a thousand independent activists and journalists, using Pegasus surveillance software that gave the government access to their phones; is aware of the challenges in times of war in the region; However underlines the importance of any measure taken in this context complies with the Council of Europe and other international standards and particularly with the Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights and the relevant case-law of the ECtHR;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Calls on Azerbaijan to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention);
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Strongly icondemns the repression of political opposition activists in Azerbaijan; Insists that that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists this practice; Stresses that Azerbaijan must release its political prisoners;
Amendment 299 #
19. Underlines the importance of gender equality and the representation of women at all levels of government; Urged the Government of Azerbeijan to streamline and implement the UNDP’s Gender Equality Strategy 2022-2025, aimed to move beyond piecemeal efforts and to instead help countries to shift power structures and the economic, social, and political systems that perpetuate discrimination;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Takes good note of the lLimited progress has been made by Azerbaijan on the prevention of corruption; calls on Azerbaijan to address the lack of an effective system of asset disclosure for members of parliament, judges and prosecutors;