Activities of Tunne KELAM related to 2009/2216(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The need for an EU strategy for the South Caucasus (debate)
Amendments (21)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas 2009 has seen intensification of Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks mediated by the Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Amendment 41 #
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 of sovereignty, and readiness to make real concessions;
Amendment 62 #
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 a more ambition in the 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 willconstructive attitude in the peace talks; calls on the international community to assist to overcome the remaining sticking points which hinder an agreement;
Amendment 84 #
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 on the Council and Commission to join this calloffer a solution until the final status will be determined;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Stresses that security for all is an indispensable element of any settlement; recognises the importance of robust peace- keeping arrangements; calls on Armenia, as well as Azerbaijan, to intensify their efforts in the Minsk Co-chairs-led talks on the principles for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the coming months;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the protocols on the establishment and development of diplomatic relations, border opetween Armeninga and cooperationTurkey, which i.a. foresee the prospect for the opening of the joint border; 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 without preconditions and in reasonable timeframe; and notes that this 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 talks on the principles for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflictwhole region of South-Caucasus;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Is seriously concerned about the use of ethnic cleansing as a prelude 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 independence; 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 ceaselift immediately its blocking of EUMM access to South Ossetia and Abkhazia;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Highlights the importance of engaging in democratic reforms and the essential role of political dialogue and cooperation as the key to developing national consensus; welcomes the adoption of significant legislation related to the judiciary in Armenia and calls on the authorities to ensure the effective implementation thereof, especially strengthening the independence of judiciary; welcomes the progress in Azerbaijan in the field of reform of the judiciary and calls on the authorities to work on the independence of judges; welcomes the announcement by the Georgian President regarding a ‘new wave of democratic reforms’, calls for such reforms to be effectively adopted and implemented, such as strengthening parliamentary control over the executive and increasing independence of the judiciary, and considers that democratic reforms need to be pursued and democratic institutions consolidated;
Amendment 159 #
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 municippresidential 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 thereonon the 15th of October in Azerbaijan which took place in peaceful manner, but failed in general to meet international standards; 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 positionunderlines that the EU does not recognize the constitutional and legal framework in which thate elections and referenda in breakaway regions are illegitimathave taken place; defends the political rights of displaced persons;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Considers freedom of expression to be a fundamental right and principle and the role of the media essential, is disturbed by the limitastrongly regrets the restrictions on freedom of expression and the lack of media pluralism in the countries of the South Caucasus and calls on the authorities to ensure both; is preoccupied about attacks on journalists in Armenia and in particular about the continued detention of opposition journalist Nikol Pashinian, despite the welcomed amnesty of 18 June 2009 leading to the release of a number of imprisoned opposition activists; is concerned about the deterioration of the media climate in Azerbaijan with cases of harassment and intimidation of media professionals and deplores the detention and sentencing of the two youth activists and bloggers, Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizade; accordingly calls for their release following the appeal procedure in accordance with international standards and with respect for the principles of a fair trial as set out in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Takes the view that freedom of assembly must be guaranteed, as it is instrumental to the development of a vibrant civil society; is worried about the difficulties, direct and indirect, which civil society faces in organising itself and disturbed by the adoption of laws and practices that might indirectly limit freedom of assembly, including through administrative harassment, such as the intensified checks by the fiscal authorities in Armenia; icalls concerned about the lack of any serious investigation i the authorities of Armenia to fully consider and implemento the events following the presidential elections of Februaryrecommendations of the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee regarding the investigations into the events of 1-2 March 2008, whenre 10 people were killed and which led to the imposition of a state of emergency anda temporary restriction of a number of freedoms and rights; calls on the authorities in Azerbaijan, including the local authorities, to implement in a non- restrictive manner the legislation on freedom of assembly which, as amended, meets most international standards; is concerned that in Georgia the 2009 amendments to the Law on Assembly and Manifestations may limit freedom of assembly and curtail the ability of the opposition to mobilise; underlines the important role of civil society for the peace and reconciliation processes in the region;
Amendment 204 #
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 compleaccelerate its negotiations on accession to the WTO; welcomes the progress in implementing market-made in economyic 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 generlobal economic crisis and welcomes the decision by the Council at the end of 2009 to provide macrofinancial assistance to the two countries;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Underscores the importance of investing in renewable energy sources and ensuring that environmental concerns are catered for; welcomes the establishment of the Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus; considers the plans proclaimed by Azerbaijan to make the development of alternative energy sources a government priority praiseworthy and encourages the pursuit of such objectives; is glad to take note ofwelcomes the decision of Armenia to decommission the nuclear plant in Medzamor, but regrets that a new nuclear plant will be built in the same seismic area;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Considers that promoting social cohesion and social dialogue, investing in education and health and building and developing human capital, ensuring adequate standards of living, are essential in order to build vibrant democratic societies; takes positive note of the adoption by the three countries of their respective programmes on poverty reduction and encourages their thorough implementation;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Welcomes the Eastern Partnership and takes note of the related initiatives that have been activated and the meetings that have been held; intends to develop further the parliamentary dimension of the Partnership; expects the implementation of association agreements by all South Caucasus countries to accelerate the process of economic integration and political cooperation with the EU;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Considers that the ENP Action Plans and the implementation thereof constitute an essential basis for evaluating respect for commitments, in accordance with the principle of conditionality, for evaluatingand the progress of bilateral relationships with the EU and for considering upgrading of agreementcontractual relations with the countries concerned; takes the view that the European Parliament should be involved in this process; notes the different progress made by the three countries in the implementation of the respective ENP Action Plans; believes that negotiations on the new association agreements should take into account this diversity and the different objectives but at the same timeand hopes that the process of negotiation should preferablywill move at the same pace for all three countries, taking into account the regional dimension;
Amendment 253 #
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 entering South Ossetia and Abkhazia; considers that the EU now has the opportunity to play a greater role insupport the solution of the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict and could do so by participating in the negotiations 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 and by standing ready to launch reconstruction aid programmes once a political solution is found; therefore finds it inevitable for the EU´s role in the Minsk Group to be upgraded;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Calls on the Commission to grant substantial financial and technical support to measures building confidence and promoting trust between and among the populations and to participate in rehabilitation and reconstruction in the conflict affected region, such as income- generating projects and projects on socio- economic integration of IDPs and returnees, on the rehabilitation of housing and aiming at dialogue and mediation;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Welcomes the work of the EU High Level EU Advisory Group to Armenia; believes that, welcomes the possibility of increased financial assistance within the framework of the Eastern Partnership and, including for the preparation for the negotiation of new association agreements with the EU has the opportunity to offer technical assistance and calls on the Commission to study the possibility of offering suchtailor-made assistance also to Azerbaijan and Georgia;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Considers that the EU should continue to support economic development, trade and investment in the region, and believes that the negotiation and establishment of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreementsa plays a very important role in this respect; calls on the Commission to consider possible ways to assist the countries in the region to prepare them and enable them toin their preparation, negotiateion and then implement andation in the future, including sustaining the commitments provided for in possiblderiving from the future DCFTAs;
Amendment 291 #
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 thewelcomes the conclusion of the visa facilitation and readmission agreements with Georgia and calls on three cCountries and welcomes the initialling of thecil and Commission to make progress towards visa facilitation and readmission agreements with GeorgiaArmenia and Azerbaijan;