21 Amendments of Juozas OLEKAS related to 2020/2113(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the broader Middle East region referred to in this report encompasses the area between the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf; whereas this region is strategic for the European Union given its geographical position and common ties; whereas the stability and security of Europe and the broader Middle East region are interdependent, and whereas the situation in the region is currently characterised by ongoing conflicts with a strong regional and extra-regional dimensions;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and confirmed these countries’ intention to divide the regforge a closer relationship based on shared threat perceptions into blocks the region;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas EU Member States continue to export of arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repressiono not always follow the EU Common Position 2008/944/CFSP, which defines common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas countries in the region are key trading partners for the EU and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas the ongoing global energy crisis, exacerbated by the Russian aggression in Ukraine, has led to increased contact with Qatarthe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other countries in the region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, better governance and human rights; whereas the Joint Communication on Strategic Partnership with the Gulf outlined multiple areas of common interests between the EU, GCC and other Gulf countries;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas problems associated with governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflict; whereas the use of death penalty remains prolific in the region, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas the financial situation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is worsening, and where is an overwhelming political support for the Agency, it is not adequately matched by sufficient funding from the international community;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Highlights that the current situation in the broader Middle East region is characterised by ongoing conflicts with a regional dimension; stresses that the presence of foreign forces in these conflicts is contributing to maintaining them and to further regional inany involvement of the EU Member State or other external parties must be aimed at resolving the conflicts and increasing security and stability; notes that as well as ongoing conflicts, there are latent ones which the EU must take into consideration when defining its long-term strategy to tackle the underlying causes of instability in the region;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the EU has its own interests in the region, as; highlights that EU security is interdependent with security in the Middle East; highlights that and EU funding instruments directed at the region should make an important contribution to stability and prosperity;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional stakeholders, which is key to fostering stability; commends, in this sense, the efforts of regional actors, such as Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, to promote constructive intra-regional diplomatic engagement, including through such initiatives as Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership of 2021 and normalization talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia facilitated by Iraq; calls for deepened engagement with Qatar particularly on the situation in Afghanistan, leveraging the contacts it forged with the de-facto Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, notably with the aim to reverse some of the draconian restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women, such as denial of their right to education and introduction of highly restrictive compulsory dress code; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranational organisations to be enhanced;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Welcomes the ambition of the Joint Communication on Strategic Partnership with the Gulf to promote wide-ranging cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in green transition, digitalization, regional security, gender equality, trade, human rights, people-to-people contacts and other areas; regrets, however, that the scope of the Communication was limited to the GCC countries, excluding Iran and Iraq, and thus failing to develop policies aimed at overcoming the existing lack of trust between different stakeholders in the Gulf; considers that the EU should support the issue-oriented cooperation between regional actors on common challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters, trade, Sustainable Development Goals, among others, as means of confidence-building in the region;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Recognizes the essential and stabilizing role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in a difficult context of growing humanitarian and development needs; asks to increase and promote worldwide support towards the Agency in order to ensure the fulfilment of its mandate;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Member States to align their arms export policies with the provisions of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and to adopt a strict application of all criteria, , including by halting arms exports when these criteria are not met;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes of regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones inexpress serious concern over extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose; highlights in particular the dangers associated with the use of autonomous and remotely operated systems for such operations;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Takes note of an UN-mediated truce announcement in Yemen between the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and Houthi rebels; insists that the truce should be the first step to prepare the ground for credible peace talks between the Yemeni parties that should lead to an end of the war and one of the world’s greatest humanitarian disasters through an inclusive, Yemeni-led political settlement; stresses that the conflict cannot be truly solved without the accountability for the alleged war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia, UAE and their allies, and Houthi rebels;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. EWelcomes the EU’s commitment establishing a WMD-free zone in the Middle East, in accordance with the resolution on the Middle East of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the EU’s promotion of confidence- building measures in support of this process in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner; expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activate all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; calls on Israel to ratifynotes that Israel, as a non-party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, has long maintained ambiguity regarding its nuclear status;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as a necessary step towards achieving regional stability and creating conditions for further talks on a new, inclusive regional security architecture; calls on the US and Iran to pursue meaningful negotiations with a view to returning to compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as the only viable way of solving the remaining safeguards issues related to Iran’s nuclear activities; stresses that the restoration of the JCPOA would provide a foundation for the EU’s renewed engagement with Iran, to complement the existing EU’s partnerships and relations in the region;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines the need to diversify the EU’s sources of energy and calls foron the EEAS and the Commission to conduct an assessment of the security implications of any agreement to import oil, gas or hydrogen into the EU;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Highlights the need to combat the funding of terrorist organisations and activities; stresses that the EU must help to stop money laundering and stem illicit financial flows by adopting a clear strategy to address the shortcomings in controlling these kind of funds by several states in the region; notes that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were recently added to the list of countries under increased monitoring (grey list) of the Financial Action Task Force, as a "jurisdiction with strategic deficiencies" in preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism; highlights that, in line with previous practice and the Commission's methodology, all countries that are under this list are subsequently listed by the EU through a delegated act under Article 9 of the Anti-Money Laundering Directive; notes with concern that, as reported by the press, several Russian oligarchs have flocked to the UAE following the targeted sanctions in the EU; calls on the Commission to propose a delegated act to list the UAE as a high risk third country without further delay;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Highlights that people-to-people contacts and cooperation in fields such as education, science or culture play an important role in the region and can make a key contribution to regional stability and the bridging of divides both with the EU and among the different states; welcomes, in this context, the proposal presented by the Commission for the visa exemption for the citizens of Kuwait and Qatar; calls on the Commission to swiftly engage in technical discussions to ensure fulfilment of relevant criteria in view of ultimately achieving visa exemption for the citizens of Kuwait, Qatar and Oman;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Is deeply concerned about the steady deterioration of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia, expressing itself in the execution of 81 men in March 2022, the largest mass execution in years, apparent war crimes in Yemen, continued imprisonment of peaceful dissidents and human rights activists, persistence of the male guardianship over women and discriminatory laws and policies against women, lack of meaningful accountability for the murder of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in which a U.S. intelligence report released in 2021 implicated the Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman personally; reiterates its call to use the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to introduce targeted sanctions against the Saudi officials involved in grave human rights violations;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the authorities in the region to uphold the ban on torture as enshrined in particular in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which most of them have signed and ratified; calls for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the region; regrets that the Joint Communication on a Strategic Partnership with the Gulf failed to introduce any human rights safeguards to counter-terrorist cooperation with the Gulf states and insists that any cooperation in this field with the Gulf and Middle East countries be submitted to strict application of such safeguards; notes with deep concern the persistent pattern in the countries of the region to adopt vaguely drafted “anti- terrorism” laws the implementation of which in practice leads to criminalization of legitimate, peaceful dissent;