9 Amendments of Marie-Christine VERGIAT related to 2009/2216(INI)
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recalls that hundreds of thousands of persons who fled their homes during or in connection withbecause of the Nagorno-Karabakh war remain displaced and denied their rights, including the right to return; calls on all parties to unambiguously and unconditionally recognise thisese rights and the need for itstheir prompt realisation; calls on the OSCE to include the issue of refugees in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and to establish a mechanism to enable refugees and displaced persons to return to Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan with lasting guarantees of their safety following their return; calls on the Armenian and Azerbaijani authorities and leaders of relevant communities and of Nagorno-Karabakh to demonstrate their commitment to the creation of peaceful inter-ethnic relations through practical preparations for the return of refugees and displaced persons and other means; considers that the situation of the IDPs should be dealt with acby recognising and restoring the rights of all the victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, creating the cornding to international standards, having regard inter alia to the recent PACE Retions for their voluntary return or offering them commpendsation 1877(2009), ‘Europe’s forgotten people: protecting the hum; considers that the situation of the IDPs and rights of long-term displaced persons’efugees should be dealt with according to international standards;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses the importance of protecting the safety and rights of the ethnic Georgians still living within the breakaway regions, promoting respect for displaced persons’ right of return under safe and dignified conditions, achieving a reduction in the Iron-Curtain character of the de facto borders and obtaining possibilities for the EU and other international actors to assist people within the two regions; underlines the need for more clearly identified short- and medium-term objectives in this respect;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Amendment 172 #
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 limitations 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; is concerned that police officers who were the perpetrators of torture and inhuman treatment, the victims of which included the adolescents Ruslan, Maksim and Dmitri, have gone unpunished; strongly urges the authorities to set up an independent commission of inquiry to deal with the cases of torturers who have not been brought to justice; 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 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Is worried by the climate of racial hatred against Armenians and Armenian culture encouraged by the Azerbaijani authorities, and by the harassment and intimidation of citizens who opt for the Armenian culture in the context of cultural occasions and events;
Amendment 188 #
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; is concerned about the lack of any serious investigation into the events following the presidential elections of February 2008 when 10 people were killed and which led to the imposition of a state of emergency and 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 at the new laws in Azerbaijan curtailing the work of NGOs, particularly those dealing with complaints relating to torture and ill-treatment; 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 196 #
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 capitalprioritisation of education and training 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
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Warns Azerbaijan against using these resources to build military infrastructure which would increase the threat of war; is concerned at the 1 300% growth in the Azerbaijani military budget in five years, and calls on the countries holding the chairmanship of the Minsk Group to prevent any arms race or build-up of weapons, and to ensure that there is balanced military potential in the region; takes the view that oil revenue should not be used to increase the risks of a resumption of hostilities with Armenia;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Recalls that energy security is a common preoccupation; urges the EU therefore to give more robust support to the energy projects in the region, to step up its cooperation on energy issues and to work towards the completion of the Nabucco pipeline; also calls on the Commission to ensure that the energy- and transport- related projects in the South Caucasus foster relations between the three countries and are not a cause of exclusion of certain communitieuntries; calls on Azerbaijan and Turkey to put an end to their policy of isolating Armenia by excluding systematically it from regional energy cooperation projects; reaffirms the importance of the Baku Initiative and its corresponding supporting programmes, INOGATE and TRACECA;