17 Amendments of Vytautas LANDSBERGIS related to 2009/2216(INI)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas as a result of the August 2008 war in Georgia, of the EU’s successful intervention to achieve a Ceasefire Agreement and of the great need for further engagement that followed from these developmentsat step, the EU became a significant security actor in the region, through the deployment of the EU Monitoring Mission, the launch of a major post-war assistance programme and the start of a fact-finding mission on the causes and course of the war,
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas 2009 has seen little intensification of Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks mediated by the Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the EU needs to play a moren increasingly active political role and develop a strategy to assist the transformation of the South Caucasus into a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity and to use fully its potential to contribute to the peaceful solution of the conflicts in the region by combining its soft power with a firm approach;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that conflict management and conflict resolution necessitate inter alia the recognition of the rights and legitimate interests of all relevant parties and communities, openness to review perceptions of past events, serious willingness to overcome hatred and fear, preparedness to give up maximalist ambitions, interest in innovative approaches, including to the exercise ofmaking sovereignty choices, and readiness to makdebate real concessions;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points to the importance of conflict prevention, including through respect for the rights of all national minorities and internally displaced groups, religious tolerance and efforts to strengthen social and economic cohesion;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the responsibility of external actors to use their power and influence in ways that are fully consistent with international law, including human rights law; believes that reduction of the competition between external actors in the region should be pursued, but cannot come at the price of effectivelyvia accepting any actor’s claim to have ‘privileged interests’; is of the opinion that introducing conditions for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the South Caucasus states is unacceptable;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Fully supports the Minsk Group Co- chairs’ mediation, the Madrid Principles and the Moscow Declaration; condemns the idea of a military solution and calls on both sides to avoid militant rhetoric; furthermore calls on both sides to show more ambition in the bilateral peace talks and to abandon the tendency to prefer perpetuating the status quo created through military conquests in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions; calls on the international community likewise to show courage and political will to overcome the remaining sticking points which hinder an agreement;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that interim status for Nagorno- Karabakh could imply interim legitimisation of the de facto authorities there; believes that inter alia in order to raise their credibility with a view to such a prospect, these authorities should rapidly abandon the positions that Nagorno- Karabakh includes all Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani lands and that displaced persons’ right of return cannot even be discussed at the present stage; calls on the Government of Armenia to exercise its influence in this respect and to begin the good-will return from additionally controlled territories, and on the Council and Commission to join this call;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations, border opening and cooperation; calls on both sides to seize this opportunity to mend their relations through ratification and implementation; does not support the introduction of conditions for ratification not mentioned in the protocols, but notes that if implemented, they will have wide- ranging, potentially overall very positive consequences in the region and that they can therefore not be seen in isolation; calls on Armenia, as well as Azerbaijan, to intensify their efforts in the Minsk Co- chairs-led and other talks on the principles for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the Tagliavini Report and supports its main conclusions including those on ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity; supports the EU Monitoring Mission mandate and its implementation of the part which is not blocked by Russia and the de facto authorities of the breakaway regions; the mandate remains valid and for full scale implementation;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is seriously concerned about the continued use of ethnic cleansing as a preluden element to the Russian recognition of South Ossetian and Abkhazian statehood; notes with satisfaction that the international community remains united in its rejection of the unilateral declaration of tricky independence of the regions under foreign control; calls on Russia to honour its commitment in the Ceasefire Agreement to withdraw its troops to the positions held before the outbreak of the August 2008 war and to cease its blocking of EUMM access to South Ossetia and Abkhazia;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underscores the importance of free and fair elections to be held in accordance with international commitments and standards; notes that the last presidential elections held in Armenia in February 2008 were once again violent and that repercussions of the internal crisis in their aftermath are still being felt; takes note of the municipal elections held in a peaceful manner in Azerbaijan on 23 December 2009 and awaits the report of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities observation delegation thereon; calls on the Georgian authorities to ensure that the local elections scheduled for 30 May 2010 take place in accordance with international standards and that the electoral law is amended accordingly, and reaffirms that securing direct election of mayors is crucial; confirms its and the EU’s position that elections and referenda in breakaway regions under foreign control are illegitimate; defends the political rights of displaced persons;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Holds the view that broader cooperation on a regional level and with the EU in sectors such as the economy, transport, energy and environment is essential for the optimal development of the sectors themselves and for ensuring stability in the region, but that cooperation should also embrace the building of human capital in the whole region as a long-term investment; welcomes the fact that all three countries benefit from the EU’s GSP and takes note that all of them qualify for the GSP+ for sustainable development and good governance; notes that regional cooperation in the judicial and police fields and the establishment of integrated border management are essential for further promoting mobility in the region and with the EU; welcomes Georgia for its leading position in fighting corruption and improving the state governance;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Underscores the importance of building a favourable business climate and the development of the private sector; commends Azerbaijan on its noteworthy economic growth and the reform process, which makes the economy more attractive to foreign investors, and hopes that Azerbaijan will continue and eventually complete its negotiations on accession to the WTO; is of the opinion that Azerbaijan should be involved more actively in the Nabucco project; welcomes the progress in implementing market- economy reforms aiming at liberalisation of the market in Armenia and Georgia; notes however that the economic development of Armenia and Georgia has been affected by the general economic crisis and welcomes the decision at the end of 2009 to provide macrofinancial assistance to the two countries;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Takes note of the current EU involvement in conflict resolution processes in the region and believes that the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty justifies a more prominent role for the EU; welcomes the work of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia and calls for increased EU action to persuade Russia and the relevant de facto authorities to stop blocking the EUMM from enteringacting in South Ossetia and Abkhazia; calls Russia to use its presence for stopping of South- Ossetian snipers' provocations at the demarcation line with rest of Georgia; considers that the EU now has the opportunity to play a greater role in the solution of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict and could do so by participating in the negotiations also through the establishment of an EU mandate for the French Co-chair of the Minsk Group, by standing ready to launch reconstruction aid programmes and by supporting civil- society projects that aim to promote reconciliation and contacts between individuals in the region;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls on the High Representative for the Union’s Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to follow closely the developments in the region and to be actively involved in the conflict resolution processes; acknowledges the work of the Special Representative for the South Caucasus and expresses the firm hope that the High Representative will ensure its continuity and consistency; encourages the Council to consider the possible use of tools from the CSDP to step up its participation in the peace-building and conflict-management processes;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Reiterates the significance of people- to-people contacts and mobility programmes, especially aimed at youth; calls on the Council and Commission to make progress towards visa facilitation with the three countries and; welcomes the initialling of the visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Georgia, deploring the fact that it could not be finalized in 2010;