2021/2231(INI) EU-Azerbaijan relations
Lead committee dossier:
Progress: Procedure completed
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | AFET |
ZOVKO Željana ( EPP)
|
SANTOS Isabel ( S&D),
KYUCHYUK Ilhan ( Renew),
GREGOROVÁ Markéta ( Verts/ALE),
MARIANI Thierry ( ID),
FOTYGA Anna ( ECR),
VILLANUEVA RUIZ Idoia ( GUE/NGL)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54
Legal Basis:
RoP 54Events
2023/03/15
EP - Results of vote in Parliament
Documents
2023/03/15
EP - Decision by Parliament
Details
The European Parliament adopted by 475 votes to 35, with 76 abstentions, a resolution on EU-Azerbaijan relations.
Parliament noted that for more than three decades and still ongoing, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan have resulted in the occupation of territories internationally recognised as belonging to the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction, including of cultural and religious sites, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to erupt periodically. The ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020, introduced following the 44-day war waged by Azerbaijan in 2020, has not been fully implemented.
Conflict resolution and normalisation of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations
Members are convinced that sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means and the threat of use of force but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law. They reaffirmed that, to be effective, a comprehensive peace treaty must include provisions that guarantee the integrity of Armenian sovereign territory, the rights and security of the Armenian population residing in Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflict-afflicted areas and the prompt and safe return of all refugees and internally displaced people to their homes.
The resolution welcomed the numerous steps undertaken by the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaderships to overcome their differences and achieve lasting and sustainable peace in the region and commended their sustained engagement in ongoing negotiations. Denouncing, in this regard, the behaviour of the Azerbaijani leadership in undermining these efforts, Members called on both parties not to lose momentum, to agree on concrete steps forward and to ensure a safe, secure and prosperous environment for the benefit of all ethnic populations in the region.
Parliament condemned the latest large-scale military aggression by Azerbaijan in September 2022 against multiple targets on the sovereign territory of Armenia as a serious violation of the ceasefire statement of November 2020. It called for the return of all forces to their original positions, condemned any attempt to undermine the peace process and called on all parties to the conflict to refrain from any further use of force.
Reaffirming that the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must be fully respected by all parties, the Parliament called on the Azerbaijani authorities to:
- ensure freedom and security of movement along the Lachin corridor as prescribed by the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020;
- ensure the safety and respect of the rights of all minorities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as this is an essential prerequisite for the creation of conditions conducive to post-war rehabilitation and genuine reconciliation.
Both Azerbaijan and Armenia are urged to:
- fully implement the tripartite ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 in all its aspects;
- refrain from any hostile rhetoric or actions that may be perceived as inciting hatred or outright violence or as supporting impunity, or from actions that risk undermining efforts to establish and promote an atmosphere conducive to trust, reconciliation, cooperation and sustainable peace, including people-to-people contact;
- find a viable solution to link the Nakhchivan region with the rest of Azerbaijan;
- set up a transitional justice mechanism as a confidence-building step towards acknowledging the suffering on both sides and to work towards reconciliation based on a factual assessment of events that have occurred during the armed conflict, starting in 1988 ;
- draft a comprehensive and mutually acceptable peace treaty that should address the rights and security of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the return of internally displaced persons and refugees and the protection of cultural, religious and historical heritage.
Enhanced EU involvement
Parliament recalled that the EU’s passive stance during and immediately after the 2020 war gave other regional actors, such as Russia, Iran and Turkey, the opportunity to continue exerting their influence in the region. It also recalled that more active European preventive diplomacy could have prevented such an outcome.
Members underlined the EU’s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’s protracted conflicts and expressed strong support for the initiative taken by President Charles Michel to convene and mediate bilateral meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and encouraged the work on the ground of the EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia.
While welcoming the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU to the conflict-affected population in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, the Commission is called on to ensure additional funding and assistance for demining efforts. The Commission is also called on to increase EU assistance to people in need, including in Nagorno-Karabakh, facilitate the implementation of more ambitious confidence building measures, promote interreligious and interethnic dialogue, protect minority rights and enhance people-to-people contacts between citizens on both sides of the border in order to build the foundations for a sustainable and peaceful coexistence.
Human rights and fundamental freedoms
The report emphasised the need to make any further cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan conditional on the country’s effective and tangible progress towards respect for international standards and international commitments , in particular those related to democracy, human rights, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms, particularly freedom of expression and association, good governance, the rights of minorities, freedom of the media and gender equality.
Parliament called on Azerbaijan to reform the judiciary and the prosecution service to ensure the full independence of the judiciary. It regretted that Azerbaijan had made little progress in preventing and combating corruption.
Security and geopolitical challenges
Parliament is strongly concerned by the Declaration on Allied Interaction between Azerbaijan and Russia signed in February 2022 in Moscow. It noted furthermore, the lack of support from Azerbaijan for the resolutions voted on in the UN General Assembly on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and urges Azerbaijan to ensure that sanctions against Russia are not circumvented.
Lastly, recognising the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of fossil fuel energy to the EU, Parliament called on the Commission to support foreign investments from international partners aimed at increasing connectivity between the EU and Azerbaijan. The Commission is called on to guarantee that no gas imports from non-EU countries could be whitewashing Russian gas under European sanctions.
Documents
2023/03/14
EP - Debate in Parliament
Documents
2023/02/20
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details
The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Željana ZOVKO (EPP, CZ) on EU-Azerbaijan relations.
The report noted that for more than three decades and still ongoing, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan have resulted in the occupation of territories internationally recognised as belonging to the sovereign territory of
Azerbaijan, tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction, including of cultural and religious sites, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to erupt periodically. The ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020, introduced following the 44-day war waged by Azerbaijan in 2020, has not been fully implemented.
Conflict resolution and normalisation of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations
Members are convinced that sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means and the threat of use of force but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law. They reaffirmed that, to be effective, a comprehensive peace treaty must include provisions that guarantee the integrity of Armenian sovereign territory, the rights and security of the Armenian population residing in Nagorno-Karabakh and other conflict-afflicted areas and the prompt and safe return of all refugees and internally displaced people to their homes.
The report welcomed the numerous steps undertaken by the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaderships to overcome their differences and achieve lasting and sustainable peace in the region and commended their sustained engagement in ongoing negotiations. Members called on both parties not to lose momentum, to agree on concrete steps forward and to ensure a safe, secure and prosperous environment for the benefit of all ethnic populations in the region.
Members welcomed Azerbaijan’s commitment to normalising relations with Armenia and recalled the commitment of Armenia to withdraw its armed forces and to guarantee the safety of transport links between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in order to ensure the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions.
The Azerbaijani authorities are called on to:
- ensure freedom and security of movement along the Lachin corridor as prescribed by the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020;
- ensure the safety and respect of the rights of all minorities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as this is an essential prerequisite for the creation of conditions conducive to post-war rehabilitation and genuine reconciliation.
Both Azerbaijan and Armenia are urged to:
- fully implement the tripartite ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 in all its aspects;
- refrain from any hostile rhetoric or actions that may be perceived as inciting hatred or outright violence or as supporting impunity, or from actions that risk undermining efforts to establish and promote an atmosphere conducive to trust, reconciliation, cooperation and sustainable peace, including people-to-people contact;
- increase credible confidence-building measures in order to counter polarisation, lack of trust and hate speech and other inflammatory rhetoric;
- set up a transitional justice mechanism as a confidence-building step towards acknowledging the suffering on both sides and to work towards reconciliation based on a factual assessment of events that have occurred during the armed conflict, starting in 1988.
Enhanced EU involvement
The report recalled that the EU’s passive stance during and immediately after the 2020 war gave other regional actors, such as Russia, Iran and Turkey, the opportunity to continue exerting their influence in the region. It also recalled that more active European preventive diplomacy could have prevented such an outcome.
Members underlined the EU’s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’s protracted conflicts and expressed strong support for the initiative taken by President Charles Michel to convene and mediate bilateral meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and encouraged the work on the ground of the EU’s special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia.
While welcoming the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU to the conflict-affected population in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, the Commission is called on to ensure additional funding and assistance for demining efforts, including equipment, training and risk education. The Commission is also called on to increase EU assistance to people in need, including in Nagorno-Karabakh, facilitate the implementation of more ambitious confidence building measures, promote interreligious and interethnic dialogue, protect minority rights and enhance people-to-people contacts between citizens on both sides of the border in order to build the foundations for a sustainable and peaceful coexistence.
Human rights and fundamental freedoms
The report emphasised the need to make any further cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan conditional on the country’s effective and tangible progress towards respect for international standards and international commitments, in particular those related to democracy, human rights, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms, particularly freedom of expression and association, good governance, the rights of minorities, freedom of the media and gender equality.
Good governance, justice, rule of law and the fight against corruption
Members expressed its concern about the persistent lack of independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary as well as of transparency in its decisions and about systemic procedural shortcomings. They urged Azerbaijan to reform the judiciary and the prosecution system to ensure the complete independence of the judiciary. They expressed regret at the limited progress made by Azerbaijan on preventing and fighting against corruption.
Security and geopolitical challenges
While welcoming Azerbaijan’s official support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine during the ongoing war, Members are, however, strongly concerned by the Declaration on Allied Interaction between Azerbaijan and Russia signed in February 2022 in Moscow. They noted, furthermore, the lack of support from Azerbaijan for the resolutions voted on in the UN General Assembly on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and urges Azerbaijan to ensure that sanctions against Russia are not circumvented.
The report welcomed the security cooperation between the EU, its Member States and Azerbaijan and fully supported the further deepening of counter-terrorism cooperation. Contrarily, Members condemned the illicit and massively widespread use of the NSO Group’s Pegasus surveillance software and repressive cybersecurity employed by Azerbaijan against journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, lawyers and politicians and called on the Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from using it.
Economic cooperation
Recognising the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of fossil fuel energy to the EU, the report called on the Commission to support foreign investments from international partners aimed at increasing connectivity between the EU and Azerbaijan. The Commission is called on to guarantee that no gas imports from non-EU countries could be whitewashing Russian gas under European sanctions. The Azerbaijani authorities are called on to undertake crucial steps to accelerate the development of renewables and increase energy efficiency.
Documents
2023/02/09
EP - Vote in committee
2022/11/21
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2022/10/25
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/12/16
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2021/07/14
EP - ZOVKO Željana (EPP) appointed as rapporteur in AFET
Documents
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T9-0082/2023
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Committee report tabled for plenary: A9-0037/2023
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE736.481
- Committee draft report: PE736.480
- Committee draft report: PE736.480
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE736.481
Activities
- Nicola BEER
Plenary Speeches (2)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- Peter van DALEN
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- Angel DZHAMBAZKI
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- Anna FOTYGA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- Othmar KARAS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Michaela ŠOJDROVÁ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- Clare DALY
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Isabel SANTOS
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- Michal ŠIMEČKA
Plenary Speeches (1)
- Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ
Plenary Speeches (1)
- 2023/03/14 EU-Azerbaijan relations (debate)
- Mick WALLACE
Plenary Speeches (1)
Votes
Relations UE-Azerbaïdjan - EU-Azerbaijan relations - Beziehungen zwischen der EU und Aserbaidschan - A9-0037/2023 - Željana Zovko - § 2 - Am 7 #
2023/03/15 Outcome: +: 378, -: 170, 0: 49
The Left
NI
PPEA9-0037/2023 - Željana Zovko - Proposition de résolution (ensemble du texte) #
2023/03/15 Outcome: +: 475, 0: 76, -: 35
| Amendments | Dossier |
| 354 |
2021/2231(INI)
2022/11/17
AFET
354 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 1 a (new) — having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 5 a (new) — having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy signed between the EU and Azerbaijan on 18 July 2022,
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H e (new) He. whereas women human rights defenders are systematically targeted and face threats, coercion, police beating, violations of their right to privacy and smear campaigns that are gender-specific in order to discredit and silence; whereas the International Women's Day march activists attempting to organise a peaceful event to demand an improvement to women's rights has been facing a severe clampdown by the authorities by an arbitrary rejection of the march and police detention;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H f (new) Hf. whereas women journalists and other women media actors face specific gender-related dangers, including sexist, misogynist and degrading abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment and sexual aggression and violence; whereas there has been a recent rise in suicide rate in survivors of violence against women in Azerbaijan;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H g (new) Hg. whereas ill-treatment is rampant in police custody, allegedly to coerce confessions, while denying detainees access to family, independent lawyers, or independent medical care; whereas authorities typically dismiss complaints of torture and other ill-treatment in custody, and the practice continues with impunity;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H h (new) Hh. whereas the government has control over mobile operators and internet service providers; whereas in July 2021, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) reported that Azerbaijani journalists were among those targeted with the NSO’s Pegasus spyware tool, which was likely supplied to the Azerbaijani government; whereas stolen data by police, government law enforcement or intelligence services are used as a tool of harassment;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H i (new) Hi. whereas the arrival of major flows of oil revenues and continuous high oil revenue dependence contributed to a consistent decline of fundamental freedoms and increasing violations of human rights and effectively consolidated Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -1 (new) -1. whereas since the 2020 war, the Islamic Republic of Iran has held various military exercises along its border with Azerbaijan; whereas on 17 October 2022, the Islamic Republic of Iran conducted a large-scale military exercise, also known as "Mighty Iran", on its border with Azerbaijan, which included tanks, multiple-launch rocket systems and the same type of Iranian suicide drones Russia is using in Ukraine;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict has significantly hampered the development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s Basic Principles;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict which over the years has caused immense suffering and destruction has significantly hampered the development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s 2009 Basic Principles; recalls that the root cause of the conflict, which is the situation and security of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and the status of the formerly autonomous region, remains unresolved;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict has significantly hampered the development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s Basic Principles; calls on the international community to remain seized of this conflict which is a matter of stability and security of the whole region;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh armed conflict has significantly hampered the development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 6 a (new) — having regard to the Commission's Joint Communication "Towards an EU strategy for international cultural relations",
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Considers that the
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Considers that the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Considers that the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict has significantly hampered the development and stability of the whole South Caucasus region; is convinced that a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be achieved through military means and the threat of use of force but requires a comprehensive political settlement in accordance with international law, including the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Minsk Group’s Basic Principles;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 a (new) Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 b (new) 1b. Expresses concern about the presence of so-called Russian ‘peacekeepers’ and their potential impact to the political developments in South Caucasus and the future of the region’s reform agenda;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 c (new) 1c. Welcomes the numerous steps undertaken by the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaderships to overcome their differences and reach a durable and sustainable peace in the region and commends their sustained engagement in ongoing negotiations;
Amendment 116 #
1d. Calls on both parties not to lose the momentum, to agree on concrete steps forward, and to ensure a safe, secure and prosperous environment for the benefit of all ethnic populations in the region;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 e (new) 1e. Notes with concern the low level of accuracy of provided landmine maps; Calls upon the Commission to mobilize assistance to humanitarian demining in Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the clashes that erupted on 12 September 2022 and 11-12 November 2022, and their consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan must be respected and underlines the EU’s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’s protracted conflicts; welcomes in this light the Council decision of 17 October 2022 to deploy up to 40 EU monitoring experts along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan with the objective of monitoring, analysing and reporting on the situation in the region; however, stresses that the presence of the EU monitors should not be used as another pretext to freeze the conflict and undermine the negotiations for a lasting and just peace;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 a (new) — having regard to the regular bilateral high level dialogues on security, energy and transport between the EU and Azerbaijan,
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the clashes that erupted on 12 September 2022 and their
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Strongly condemns the clashes that erupted on 12 September 2022 and their consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of Armenia
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Supports the Armenian proposal to establish a demilitarised zone around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan; takes the view that this demilitarised zone could be controlled by the OSCE; lauds Armenia for the constructive role it has played in efforts to bring about a ceasefire and lasting peace;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 a (new) 2a. Calls for Azerbaijani forces’ complete withdrawal from the sovereign territory of Armenia and return to their positions held on 9 November 2020 when the statement on ceasing hostilities was signed;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 a (new) — having regard to the regular bilateral high level dialogues on security, energy and transport between the EU and Azerbaijan,
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020; reminds the commitment of Armenia to withdraw its armed forces and to construct new transport communications to link the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan in order to organize an unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid using inflammatory and revanchist rhetoric and to implement measures to prepare their respective populations for peaceful coexistence; calls for Azerbaijani forces to withdraw from the territory of Armenia;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020 and to refrain from any steps that could lead to further escalations; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid using inflammatory rhetoric and to implement
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution 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 that undermines the peace process and to implement measures to prepare their respective populations for peaceful coexistence; condemns Putin- style's rhetoric by Azeri President Alyiev, who described the Armenian political leadership as fascist in the aftermath of the September 2022 attack;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution 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 order to foster the peace process;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution 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 aimed at
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. To achieve lasting peace and reconciliation, calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to set up a transitional justice mechanism or truth commission, which the EU could support and help facilitate in conjunction with other bodies such as the ICRC or OSCE, to look into all alleged crimes committed during the armed conflict starting in 1988 until now. Such a mechanism could include members of academia, independent journalists and civil society activists with a mandate to establish the fate of missing persons, repatriation of prisoners of war, and invest in establishing historical truths, eliminating hateful narratives and building trust between the two nations;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Urges the governments of both countries to fully engage in the drafting of a peace treaty that should address the security of all the population in Nagorno- Karabakh, the return of internally displaced persons and refugees and the protection of cultural, religious and historical heritage; welcomes in this regard the meetings of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 7 a (new) — having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights (‘ECHR’),
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Urges Azerbaijan to comply with the International Court of Justice Provisional Measures Order of 7 December 2021;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Stresses that the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be determined and accepted by both Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to secure the lasting settlement of the conflict; in this context underlines the need for such negotiations to take place under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group with active participation of its co-chairs and in close cooperation with the EU;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution 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 influence; 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
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution 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 influence; strongly supports, therefore, the initiative taken by the President of the European Council Charles Michel to convene and mediate bilateral meetings of
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution 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 influence in the region; reminds that more active European preventive diplomacy could have prevented such outcome; 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 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 meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries on 30 September in Geneva and on 8 November in Washington D.C.;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution 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 influence; 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 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 comprehensive and mutually acceptable peace treaty and welcomes in this regard the meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries on 30 September in Geneva;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that the EU’s passive stance during and immediately after the 2020 war gave other regional actors, such as Russia, Iran and Turkey, the opportunity to gain influence; 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 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 meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries on 30 September in Geneva;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Recalls that the EU’s passive stance during and immediately after the 2020 war gave other regional actors, such as Russia, Iran and Turkey, the opportunity to gain influence; 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 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 meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of both countries on 30 September in Geneva;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 8 — having regard to the reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe, notably the 2016 country monitoring report on Azerbaijan,1a _________________ 1a https://rm.coe.int/fourth-report-on- azerbaijan/16808b5581
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 a (new) 4a. Calls on the VP/HR and the EEAS to step up efforts to revitalise and effectively contribute to the peaceful resolution of this conflict, including through support for stabilisation, post- conflict rehabilitation, reconstruction, and confidence-building measures;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 b (new) 4b. Underlines that Russia plays a dishonest and damaging role in the region and has no interest in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict over Nagorno - Karabakh, as its prolongation gives Moscow an important leverage over both Armenia and Azerbaijan; therefore warns against any strategic agreements with Russia, which after the aggression on Ukraine should be treated as an international pariah;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Takes note of the initial progress made on the process of border delimitation and encourages both sides to continue the work; welcomes the agreement to deploy a civilian EU mission to
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Takes note of the initial progress made on the process of border delimitation; welcomes the
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Takes note of the initial
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5.
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Takes note of the initial progress made on the process of border delimitation; welcomes the agreement to deploy a civilian EU mission to build trust
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Takes note of the initial progress
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Takes note of the initial progress made on the process of border delimitation;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 8 a (new) — having regard to the report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ('PACE’) titled ‘Alleged violations of the rights of LGBTI people in the Southern Caucasus’,1a _________________ 1a https://pace.coe.int/en/files/29711/html
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Welcomes the deployment of the EU Monitoring Capacity to Armenia, along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan, to build trust and contribute to the border commissions, especially welcomes the approach to transfer EU monitoring experts from the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM Georgia) as a timely and experience- sharing solution; Calls for extending the mandate of the EU mission, making it permanent and increasing significantly the number of monitors so that it can effectively perform its monitoring, confidence-building, and stabilisation functions along the border between the two countries;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution 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 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia to set up a transitional justice mechanism or truth commission, to look into all alleged crimes committed during the armed conflict starting in 1988 until now and for the EU and its member states to support the establishment of such a mechanism;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Urges Azerbaijan to remove its soldiers from the territory of the Armenian Republic and to respect the rights of the Armenians of Artsakh;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution 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 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 b (new) 5b. Calls on Azerbaijan to cooperate fully with the EU Monitoring Capacity and grant it due access;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution 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 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Welcomes the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU for the conflict-affected population in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and its leading role in assistance for humanitarian demining in the areas affected by the conflict; calls on the
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Welcomes the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU for the conflict-affected population in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and its assistance for humanitarian demining in the areas affected by the conflict; calls on the Commission to increase EU assistance to people in need, facilitate the implementation of more ambitious confidence-building measures and enhance
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Welcomes the humanitarian assistance provided by the EU for the conflict-affected population in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and its assistance for humanitarian demining in the areas affected by the conflict; calls on the Commission to increase EU assistance to people in need, including in Nagorno- Karabakh, facilitate the implementation of more ambitious confidence-building measures and enhance people-to-people contacts between citizens on both sides of the border;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 8 a (new) — having regard to opinion on Azerbaijan by the Council of Europe's Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) published on 4 February 2019,
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls for granting of access to international humanitarian organisations, especially the United Nations, to Nagorno-Karabakh and recalls that currently only the ICRC is allowed access to the region which is insufficient to accurately assess the conditions and needs of the population residing there;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Emphasises the urgent need for increased and credible confidence- building measures in order to counter the perpetuated polarisation, lack of trust, hate speech and other inflammatory rhetoric between Armenia and Azerbaijan;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Condemns Armenia for indiscriminate deployment of landmines in the conflict-affected territories; notes with concern the low level of accuracy of landmine maps provided by Armenia which continue to claim the lives;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution 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 174 #
Motion for a resolution 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; is abhorred by reports and footage of extrajudicial killings of Armenian prisoners of war by Azeri soldiers, urges Azerbaijani authorities to thoroughly investigate such incidents, which are clearly in violation of the obligation to humane treatment of prisoners of war, and bring the perpetrators to justice; calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all the remaining detainees, including those captured during the recent military confrontations, and for
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution 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; reminds that both Armenia and Azerbaijan are parties to the Geneva Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which stipulates that prisoners of war must at all times be humanely treated and must be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities; 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;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution 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; recalls that all captured or detained persons must be treated humanely and benefit from the protections of international law; calls on all sides to clarify the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared, and to treat dead bodies with dignity;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Condemns the footage that has appeared depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; calls for a full and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions; condemns all instances of torture and enforced disappearances, also when perpetrated in armed conflict, as well as ill-treatment and the desecration of bodies;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Condemns the footage that has appeared depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; calls for a full independent and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions; stresses that those acts are in violation of the Geneva conventions which were ratified by Azerbaijan and may constitute war crimes;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 8 b (new) — having regard to the report of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe following her visit to Azerbaijan from 8 to 12 July 2019,1a _________________ 1a https://rm.coe.int/report-on-the-visit-to- azerbaijan-from-8-to-12-july-2019-by- dunja-mija/168098e108
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Condemns the footage that has appeared from 1 to11 October 2022 depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; takes note of reports by human rights groups, particularly a Human Rights Watch report, classifying this act as a war crime; calls for a full and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Condemns the footage that has appeared depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; calls for a full and impartial investigation of the videos, which could amount to war crimes, to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Condemns the footage that has appeared depicting the torture, mutilation and killing of an Armenian servicewoman and unarmed Armenian prisoners of war by Azerbaijani armed forces; calls for a full and impartial investigation of the videos to identify those responsible and hold them accountable for their actions;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 b (new) 7b. Deplores the opening of the so- called Trophy Park in Baku, inaugurated on 12 April 2021,as it further intensifies long-standing hostile sentiments and undermines the building of mutual trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan; acknowledges the decision to remove the dehumanising wax figures and the helmets from the so-called Trophy Park after the international outcry and the lawsuit filed by Armenia at the International Court of Justice;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refrain from destroying cultural, religious or historical heritage and to guarantee that citizens are not prevented from exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief in this regard; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to quickly allow a UNESCO mission to visit both countries without preconditions;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refrain from
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 10 a (new) — having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy between the EU and Azerbaijan signed in Baku on 18 July 2022,
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refrain from destroying, misappropriating or miscategorising cultural, religious or historical heritage; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to quickly allow a UNESCO mission to visit both countries without preconditions;
Amendment 191 #
8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refrain from destroying or altering the origins of cultural, religious or historical heritage; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to quickly allow a UNESCO mission to visit both countries without preconditions;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia pre
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Condemns the President Ilham Aliyev’s regular threats of the use of force against Armenia and territorial claims against Armenia and other neighbouring states; considers that such rhetoric and actions destabilize the situation in the South Caucasus and broader region; calls on Azerbaijani authorities to immediately cease such destabilizing activities and commit to the principles of good neighbourly relations and peaceful conflict resolution;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Underlines in this respect Azerbaijan’s obligations under the International Court of Justice’s decision of 7 December 2021 on the application of urgent measures, which require Azerbaijan to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Insists that both states are under international obligations to conduct independent, prompt, public and effective investigations and prosecute all credible allegations of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and other violations of international law and war crimes, in order to ensure accountability of those responsible and redress for the victims;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Calls on Azerbaijan to ensure the safety and respect of the rights of all minorities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region as this is an essential prerequisite for the creation of conditions conducive to post-war rehabilitation and genuine reconciliation;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 b (new) 8b. Condemns Turkey’s expansionist and destabilizing role in the South Caucasus, including through sending Syrian mercenaries to fight on the side of Azerbaijan against Armenia in the Second Karabakh War in 2020;believes that for Turkey to play a constructive role in the region it should reconsider its unconditional support for Azerbaijan and take tangible steps towards normalization of relations with Armenia;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Encourages increased bilateral contacts between the political authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as initiatives promoting people - to - people contacts between both countries, especially at the level of universities, youth organisations and NGOs;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Encourages increased bilateral contacts between the political authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 1 b (new) — having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 12 Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Encourages increased bilateral contacts between the political authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan and underlines the role played by the civil societies of both countries in improving relationships between the two countries;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Deplores statements by high- ranking Azerbaijani officials and public figures inciting hatred and violence towards Armenians, including operation of the Military Trophies Park in Baku, which at the beginning used to depict Armenian soldiers in dehumanising way, and calls on Azerbaijan to take steps to eliminate such rhetoric, including at the highest levels, in accordance with the interim measures issued by the International Court of Justice on 7 December 2021;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Reminds that the European Neighbourhood Policy underscores the need to reinforce the relations amongst the neighbours themselves and to promote regional cooperation; welcomes in this regard the initiative of Azerbaijan to establish new Azerbaijan-Georgia- Armenia regional platform and calls upon the Commission to support it in order to foster peace, security and prosperity in the region;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Reminds that the European Neighbourhood Policy underscores the need to reinforce the relations amongst the neighbours themselves and to promote sub-regional cooperation; Welcomes in this regard the initiative of Azerbaijan to establish new Azerbaijan-Georgia- Armenia regional platform and calls upon the Commission to support it in order to foster peace, security and prosperity in the region;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution 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 205 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Stresses the need to consult and cooperate with civil society and human rights defenders, in particular on issues of conflict resolution, peacebuilding, reconciliation and humanitarian assistance, as well as the importance of sustainable funding and the freedom of such organisations to conduct their work without restrictions;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9b. Highlights the concluding observations on the tenth to twelfth reports on Azerbaijan by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination from 30 August 2022 that expressed concerns over incitement to racial hatred and the propagation of racist stereotypes against persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin, including on the Internet and social media, as well as by public figures and governmental officials, and the lack of detailed information on investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sanctions of such acts;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9b. Highlights the particular effect of the conflict on women and marginalised groups, including the rise in domestic violence in the aftermath of the recent war, as well as the exclusion of women from the official peace process; calls on the Azerbaijani government, as well as international mediators to remove barriers to women's participation, across all tracks, and systematically include women experts and women human rights defenders in all consultations;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 b (new) 9b. Strongly welcomes Azerbaijan’s repeated support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine during the ongoing war;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution Subheading 2 Energy, trade, environment, economic and political cooperation and connectivity
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 12 — having regard to the United Nations Security Council resolutions Nos. 822 of 30 April 1993, 853 of 29 July 1993, 874 of 14 October 1993, and 884 of 12 November 1993, demanding immediate complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recognises the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of energy and fossil fuels to the EU and welcomes its willingness to contribute even more to the EU’s objectives in terms of security and diversification of energy supply and climate neutrality, as set out in European Green Deal; calls on the Commission to support foreign investments from international partners, aimed at increasing connectivity between the EU and Azerbaijan;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recognises the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of fossil fuels to the EU and welcomes its willingness to contribute even more to the EU’s objectives in terms of security and diversification of energy supply and climate neutrality; regrets that Azerbaijan’s ambition to be a strategic partner in the field of energy is not matched by its efforts on democratic reforms and respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recognises the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of fossil fuels to the EU and
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recognises the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recognises the strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a provider of
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Recognises the important strategic role played by Azerbaijan as a reliable provider of fossil fuels to the EU and welcomes its willingness to contribute even more to the EU’s objectives in terms of security and diversification of energy supply and
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 12 a (new) — having regard to the United Nations resolutions on the ongoing war in Ukraine, namely the ES-11/1 and ES-11/2 of March 2022, ES-11/3 of April 2022 and ES-11/4 of October 2022,
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Notes that the unblocking of regional transport and communication links will present a significant opportunity for socio-economic development in the entire South Caucasus region; stresses that this needs to be done in full respect of the sovereignty of both countries and based on the principle of reciprocity; underlines that, as part of the trilateral ceasefire agreement, both countries agrees to unblock connections between Nakhitchevan and Azerbaijan and to secure connections between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 223 #
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11.
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11.
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Welcomes the new memorandum of understanding between the EU and Azerbaijan signed by President Aliyev and Commission President von der Leyen in Baku on 18 July 2022 that includes a commitment to double the capacity of the Southern Gas Corridor to deliver at least 20 billion cubic metres to the EU annually by 2027; welcomes Azerbaijan’s participation in the EU4Energy program and urges the country to make more progress on energy efficiency;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Welcomes the new memorandum of understanding between the EU and Azerbaijan signed by President Aliyev and Commission President von der Leyen in Baku on 18 July 2022; stresses however that further investment by the UE should go in hand with strong commitments from Azerbaijan on the normalisation of its relations with the tangible progress on Republic of Armenia and on tangible progress on human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Welcomes the new memorandum of understanding between the EU and Azerbaijan signed by President Aliyev and Commission President von der Leyen in Baku on 18 July 2022; laments however that such a memorandum is only focused on energy cooperation;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 14 a (new) — having regard to the International Court of Justice Order on the Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan), of 7 December 2021,
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Welcomes the new memorandum of understanding between the EU and Azerbaijan regarding the strategic energy partnership signed by President Aliyev and Commission President von der Leyen in Baku on 18 July 2022;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Welcomes the initiative to establish new Azerbaijan-Georgia-Armenia regional platform and calls upon the EU to support regional cooperation in order to foster peace, security and prosperity in the region;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Emphasises Azerbaijan’s potential as a producer of renewable energy, which is severely underused at the moment, with renewable sources representing only a negligible amount of Azerbaijan’s energy mix; calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to undertake crucial steps to accelerate the development of renewables and increase energy efficiency;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Emphasises Azerbaijan’s potential as a producer of renewable energy and future exporter of green energy, such as offshore wind and green hydrogen; calls on the EU to support the efforts of Azerbaijan in evolving from an oil and natural gas supplier to a prominent renewable energy partner of the EU;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Emphasises Azerbaijan’s potential as a producer of renewable energy and future exporter of green energy, such as offshore wind and hydrogen; calls on the EU to support the efforts of Azerbaijan in evolving from an oil and natural gas supplier to a prominent renewable energy partner of the EU;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Emphasises Azerbaijan’s potential as a producer of renewable energy, in particular in offshore wind and green hydrogen and calls on the Commission and the Member States to enhance EU- Azerbaijan cooperation in that area;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Emphasises Azerbaijan’s potential as a producer
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12.
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 12. Emphasises Azerbaijan’s potential as a producer and provider of renewable energy, noting that further deepening of cooperation should also be subject to the respect of European values;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 14 a (new) — having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights, ratified by Azerbaijan in 2002,
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Calls on Azerbaijan to further enhance its engagement in the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment; encourages Azerbaijan to increase its emissions reduction targets under its NDC and to seriously commit to cutting emissions;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 b (new) 12b. Recalls the position of the European Parliament, which recommended to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS that the deepening of relations between the EU and Azerbaijan should be conditional upon it upholding and respecting the core values and principles defended by the EU; also recalls that the European Parliament had recommended that no comprehensive agreement should be ratified with a country that does not respect the EU's fundamental values and rights;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Takes note of the progress made on the negotiation of a new bilateral cooperation agreement and calls on the negotiating parties to envisage enhanced cooperation outside the energy sector in the new agreement; insists that human rights and rule of law concerns must take priority over economic incentives when negotiation this new agreement;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Takes note of the progress made on the negotiation of a new bilateral cooperation agreement and calls on the negotiating parties to envisage enhanced cooperation outside the energy sector in the new agreement with particular attention on human rights, rules of law, democracy and good governance;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Takes note of the progress made on the negotiation of a new bilateral cooperation agreement and calls on the negotiating parties to envisage enhanced cooperation outside the energy sector in the new agreement, particularly with regard to rule of law, democracy and human rights;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Takes note of the progress made on the negotiation of a new bilateral co
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Welcomes the significant trade flows between the EU and Azerbaijan and the high level of EU investment in Azerbaijan; underscores that the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan could mobilise up to EUR 2 billion in additional investments, which will deliver tangible benefits for the people of Azerbaijan and support the country’s economic diversification, green and digital transition; Calls on the EU to continue supporting regional development in Azerbaijan, including rural development, agriculture and food safety;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Welcomes the significant trade flows between the EU and Azerbaijan and
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14.
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Welcomes the potential of the Economic and Investment Plan for the Eastern Partnership to help Azerbaijan build a dynamic and resilient economy, as well as the progress made by Azerbaijan in implementing flagship initiatives;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 14 b (new) — having regard to the Interim Resolution of the Council of Europe on the Execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, Mammadli Group against Azerbaijan, of 22 September 2022,
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Encourages increased interparliamentary cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan with broad agenda of issues of mutual interest;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Recognises Azerbaijan’s strategic geographical position as a potential gateway between Europe and Central Asia and beyond, within the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’; urges the EU to support Azerbaijan and its neighbouring countries in their efforts to establish trans-Caspian and trans-Caucasian connections;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Recognises Azerbaijan’s strategic geographical position as a potential gateway between Europe and Central Asia and beyond, within the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’; underlines the importance of the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’ in the search for alternatives to trade routes through Russia;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Recognises Azerbaijan’s strategic geographical position as a potential gateway between Europe and Central Asia and beyond, within the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’, which to be fully operational, however, requires EU investment and funding in transport corridors and infrastructure;
Amendment 254 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Recognises Azerbaijan’s strategic geographical position as a potential gateway between Europe and Central Asia and beyond, within the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’ and calls upon the Commission to intensify bilateral exchanges in the framework of High Level Dialogue on Transport;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15. Recognises Azerbaijan’s strategic geographical position as a potential gateway between Europe and Central Asia and beyond, within the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’; calls upon the Commission to intensify bilateral exchanges in the framework of High Level Dialogue on Transport;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Urges the Union to maintain close contact with Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries with a view to developing connectivity projects between Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia; calls for decisive progress to be made with regard to studying the construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, which would contribute to the security of energy supply and the diversification of suppliers, sources and routes to the European Union, avoiding transit through Russian territory;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Reiterates that the transport communication between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic should be ensured in line with the 9 November 2020 ceasefire statement and under sovereign control of the Republic of Armenia; suggests therefore that the notion of so called “Zangezur corridor” or the Azerbaijani idea of an extraterritorial route be abandoned;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Calls on Azerbaijan’s government to make better use of programmes and projects available in the Eastern Partnership framework, particularly those promoting people-to-people contacts between the EU and Azerbaijan, such as easier travel and academic exchanges;
Amendment 259 #
15a. Takes note of potential for cooperation with the European companies and investors in the context of rehabilitation and reconstruction projects in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 15 a (new) — having regard to the statement of the International Association of Genocide Scholars Executive Board of 24 October 2022 on Azerbaijani Aggression Against the Republic of Armenia and the Indigenous Armenians of the South Caucasus,
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 a (new) 15a. Welcomes the flagship initiatives of the EU Economic and Investment Plan aimed at supporting economic sustainability and resilience in Azerbaijan;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 b (new) 15b. Welcomes the flagship initiatives of the EU Economic and Investment Plan aimed at supporting economic sustainability and resilience in Azerbaijan;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16.
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on EU institutions to ensure that any deepening of relations between the EU and Azerbaijan remains conditional on the country making substantial progress on respect for the core values and principles of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, good governance, the rights of minorities, freedom of the media and gender equality;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on EU institutions to ensure that any deepening of relations between the EU and Azerbaijan
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on EU institutions to ensure that any deepening of relations between the EU and Azerbaijan remains conditional on the country making substantial progress on respect for the core values and principles of democracy, human rights, rule of law and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution 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 267 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Notes the multicultural and multi- religious character of Azerbaijan and therefore calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to step up their efforts and ensure the non-discriminatory treatment of national minorities and to actively pursue investigations and convictions for hate-motivated crimes based on religious, gender related or ethnic grounds; calls on Azerbaijani authorities to ensure that all minority groups receive education in their national languages and to have equal opportunities, adequate representation in political and cultural life, public media and the administration; calls on Azerbaijan to protect and promote tangible and intangible cultural heritage, languages and traditions of its national minorities;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Calls on the Azerbaijani government and authorities to urgently uphold fundamental freedoms and human rights; expresses deep concerns that violations of fundamental human rights have in Azerbaijan a systemic and widespread pattern of violations of the rights to liberty and security and the limitation on the use of restriction on rights; moreover urges Azerbaijan to refrain from any unjustified application of criminal law to limit freedom of expression;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Is strongly concerned about the pressure put upon citizens exercising their constitutional rights in Azerbaijan; calls on the government of Azerbaijan to respect the rights of its citizens, including the right to peaceful assembly;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 a (new) — having regard to the report of the Independent Investigation Body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of 15 April 2018,
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 b (new) 16b. Expresses deep concerns that the protection of freedom of expression in Azerbaijan is non-existent, while journalists, bloggers, social media activists, and any dissenting and criticising voices are continuously detained or imprisoned on a variety of charges; Calls on Azerbaijani authorities to end restrictions of freedom of expression, including measures detrimental to the safety of journalists, and furthermore to drop all charges and release all those detained because of their views expressed;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution 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 272 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Deeply regrets the current state of press freedom in Azerbaijan; expresses its concern at the new law on media adopted in December 2021; calls for a swift review of that law in accordance with the recommendations included in the opinion of the Venice Commission of 17-18 June 2022; urges Azerbaijan to stop persecuting bloggers and journalists; calls for an immediate release of Azeri human rights lawyer Elchin Sadykov and journalist Avaz Zeynalli; urges Azerbaijan to stop surveillance, imprisoning, harassing and persecuting bloggers, journalists and civil society activists, and to ensure their safe working environment;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17.
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Deeply regrets the current state of press freedom in Azerbaijan; expresses its concern at the new law on media adopted in December 2021; calls for a swift review of that law in accordance with the recommendations included in the opinion of the Venice Commission of 17-18 June 2022; urges Azerbaijan to stop persecuting bloggers and journalists; calls on Azerbaijan to free all journalists and bloggers currently detained on the basis of the opinions they expressed;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Deeply regrets the current state of
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Deeply regrets the current state of press freedom in Azerbaijan; expresses its concern at the new law on media adopted in December 2021; calls for a swift review of that law in accordance with the recommendations included in the opinion of the Venice Commission of 17-18 June 2022;
Amendment 277 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Deeply regrets the current state of press freedom in Azerbaijan; expresses its concern at the new law on media adopted in December 2021; calls for a swift review of that law in accordance with the recommendations included in the opinion of the Venice Commission of 17-18 June 2022; urges Azerbaijan to stop persecuting bloggers
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Deeply regrets the current state of press freedom in Azerbaijan; expresses its concern at the new law on media adopted in December 2021; calls for a swift review of that law in accordance with the recommendations included in the opinion of the Venice Commission of 17-18 June 2022; urges Azerbaijan to stop persecuting bloggers
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Deeply regrets the current state of
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 a (new) — having regard to its recommendation of 19 June 2020 on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the June 2020 Summit,
Amendment 280 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Recommends to the European External Action Service, the Commission and the Member States to increase their support for and cooperation with civil society and human rights defenders, in particular in relation to restrictions on their work; calls on the Government of Azerbaijan to establish a regular and in- depth political dialogue with civil society in order to encourage ambitious and widely shared reforms aimed at making institutions more democratic and independent, to promote human rights and media freedom and develop a regulatory environment in which civil society can operate without undue interference;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Calls on the Azerbaijani government to implement the recommendation of the committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists and other media actors, and also to decriminalise defamation;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 b (new) 17b. Deeply regrets that Azerbaijan imposes serious restrictions on internet freedom, including blocking of websites and hampering the right to access information; calls on Azerbaijani authorities to bring legislation and practice affecting internet freedom in line with European standards;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 c (new) 17 c. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan must ensure the right to peaceful assembly and calls on Azerbaijan to stop preventing the International Women’s Day march;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists, including abduction, torture, disinformation and discreditation campaigns, and calls for the release of all political prisoners; deplores the systematic persecution of opposition activists, civil society members and independent journalists, and urges the Azerbaijani government to immediately stop these activities;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists; regrets that the Azerbaijani government still has not fully executed the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of the Mammadli group; reiterates the concerns raised by the Council of Europe in its resolution of September 22, 2022 on the execution of these judgments;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan ceases all repression of political opposition activists through intimidation, arrests, detentions and court cases; urges Azerbaijan to releases all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience currently detained; Calls on Azerbaijan to fully implement the decisions of the ECtHR and to clear its backlog of unimplemented cases;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18.
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists; calls on Azerbaijan to continue taking all necessary measures to prevent the politically motivated arbitrary application of the legislation;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists and continue taking all necessary measures to prevent politically motivated and arbitrary application of the law;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 a (new) — having regard to the Eastern Partnership Index 2021,
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Strongly
Amendment 291 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists both domestically and abroad;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Strongly condemns the intimidation, death threats and assassination attempts against opponents of the Azerbaijani government, including in European countries and on Azerbaijani citizens who have been granted political asylum by Member States, such as Mahammad Mirzali in France; stresses that for Member States, preventing any act of retaliation on their territory is a matter of democracy, human rights, as well as security and sovereignty; insists that Europol should keep a close watch on this matter;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop systemic harassment of women human rights defenders, women journalists and other women media actors, and to stop gender specific smear campaigns, detention, arbitrary and unlawful interferences of privacy, correspondences and other private communications;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Deplores the arrest of civil society activists who made public calls for peace, regarding the September 2022 renewed clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and calls upon the Azeri authorities to respect freedom of peaceful assembly and association;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Notes with regret the fact that Azerbaijan has not fully complied with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 b (new) Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 b (new) 18b. Deplores the brutal treatment by the police and security services during the protests and during detention, and calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to eradicate such treatment;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 c (new) 18c. Deplores the application of travel bans for opposition politicians, journalists, and civil society activists, without even informing targeted individual, as a form of control and repression and calls upon the Azerbaijani authorities to respect freedom of movement;
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 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 1 c (new) — having regard to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 1984,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 16 b (new) — having regard to Freedom House’s 2022 Freedom in the World report and 2022 Nations in Transit report,
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Underlines the importance of gender equality and the representation of women at all levels of government, as well as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda; calls on the government of Azerbaijan to adopt the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 on WPS;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 19. Underlines the importance of gender equality and the representation of women at all levels of
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Deeply regrets Azerbaijan’s failure to fully implement the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on the Protection of the National Minorities, ratified by Azerbaijan, which violates Azerbaijan’s commitment to protect the rights of the ethnic minorities such as Lezgins, Talysh, Armenians, Kurds and others;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 19 a (new) 19a. Calls on the Azerbaijani government to ratify the Istanbul Convention and to adopt and implement policies to combat domestic and gender- based violence;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on Azerbaijan to eliminate existing restrictions
Amendment 305 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 20. Calls on Azerbaijan to eliminate existing restrictions and alleviate the administrative burden on NGOs and religious communities, particularly as far as their registration and financing are concerned; calls on Azerbaijan to further improve and simplify the legislation on registration and financing of NGOs and religious communities;
Amendment 306 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Condemns Azerbaijan's elite capture activities in several international organisations aiming at watering down international critic of the regime, in particular in the field of human rights as is demonstrated by the case of certain current and former members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe who "had engaged in activity of a corruptive nature" in favour of Azerbaijan;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Is strongly concerned that the draft Law On Political Parties may further limit the freedom of association of Azerbaijanis by making it more difficult to register political parties; urges the Azerbaijani authorities to consult with international experts, including the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, and take into account their feedback on the draft law;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Deplores Azerbaijan’s systematic failure to fully implement the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on the Protection of the National Minorities ratified by Azerbaijan which violates Azerbaijan’s commitment to protect the rights of the ethnic minorities such as Lezgins, Talysh, Armenians, Kurds and others;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Recalls that the European Parliament’s position has been clear on non-discrimination with regard to LGBTIQ people, their protection against discrimination in law and practice, and the prosecution of all acts of abuse, hate speech and physical violence perpetrated against them;1a _________________ 1a Texts adopted: P9_TA(2020)0167
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 18 a (new) — having regard to its resolution of 17 January 2019 on Azerbaijan, notably the case of Mehman Huseynov[1], and to other resolutions on Azerbaijan, in particular those concerning the human rights situation and the rule of law,
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Calls on Azerbaijan to eliminate existing legislative restrictions for donor institutions and international organisations supporting the work of civil society;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 a (new) 20a. Urges Azerbaijan to reform its electoral legal framework to align it with international standards and obligations, guarantee constitutionally protected rights and freedoms, as well as address pending recommendations by ODIHR and the Venice Commission;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20b. Urges Azerbaijani authorities to adopt anti-discrimination legislation adding sexual orientation, gender identity and expression and sex characteristics as prohibited grounds, alongside the adoption of civil, administrative and/or criminal proceedings to protect people from hate speech and hate crimes; calls on authorities to reform criminal legislation by adding the previous grounds as aggravating circumstances and to combat LGBTIQ-phobic violence;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20b. Calls on the EU Delegation and Member States’ representations in Azerbaijan to increase their support for human rights defenders’ work, and, where appropriate, to facilitate the issuance of emergency visas and provide temporary shelter in the EU Member States;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20b. Condemns Azerbaijan persistent attacks on media freedom; notes that Azerbaijan is ranked 154 out 180 in media freedom by Reporters without Borders;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 b (new) 20b. Condemns the censorship on the access to information in Azerbaijan and calls on the authorities to improve access to the internet and communications coverage;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 c (new) 20c. Recalls that poor media freedom leads to an increase vulnerability and spread of disinformation, including Azerbaijani State propaganda; condemns in particular the spreading of videos or images of war crimes committed on Armenian prisoners of wars by members of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan; condemns the use of such images to reinforce hatred and ultra-nationalism in the region;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 c (new) 20c. Calls on the Council to explore targeted individual sanctions under the EU’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Azerbaijani officials who have committed grave human rights violations, such as law-enforcement officers, especially taking into account the widespread police violence against political activists, human rights defenders and journalists;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 c (new) 20c. Reiterates the call by PACE on the authorities of Azerbaijan to investigate cases of wrongful arrest of LGBTIQ people and prevent and combat police violence against these people;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 d (new) 20d. Condemns similarly disinformation emanating from Azerbaijan targeting the West, in particular in the wake of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine; notes that the narratives used against the West are copy-pasted from Russia propaganda, including attacks on LGBTIQ rights or alleged threat to traditional values;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Recital -A (new) -A. whereas the EU supports closer economic integration with Azerbaijan through the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and the Eastern Partnership Initiative; whereas the EU is Azerbaijan's first trading partner, the biggest export and import market, and is the biggest investor in the country;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 d (new) 20d. Urges Azerbaijan to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance of the United Nations;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 e (new) 20e. Condemns similarly attempts at falsifying history by eliminating traces of Armenian cultural heritage in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; condemns the establishment on 3 February 2022, by the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Anar Karimov, of a working group responsible for removing "the fictitious traces written by Armenians on Albanian religious temples";
Amendment 322 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 e (new) 20e. Regrets that Azerbaijan has made minimum advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour, of sexual exploitation and forced begging;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 f (new) 20f. Deeply regrets the non- implementation of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgements, calls to take into consideration recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to improve implementation of ECtHR judgements;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 g (new) 20g. Calls on Azerbaijan to improve the elections process based on recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 20 h (new) 20h. Calls on the European Commission to accelerate its efforts in Azerbaijan to lift the restrictions on activities of civil society and adoption of new law; and also to provide more extensive involvement of independent NGOs in the monitoring of the implementation of the PCA and participation in the EU and EU funded projects;
Amendment 326 #
21. Expresses its concern at the persistent lack of independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary; notes the measures taken for strengthening the judicial independence in compliance with the Presidential Decree of 3 April 2019 “On deepening reforms in the judicial-legal system”, including inter alia, legislative and administrative actions implemented for ensuring the independence of the judiciary and judges; encourages Azerbaijan to continue its efforts to implement relevant recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) in relation to the strengthening judicial independence;
Amendment 327 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Expresses its concern at the persistent lack of independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary; moreover urges Azerbaijan to reform the judiciary and the prosecution services system to ensure the complete independence of the judiciary and to increase people’s trust in the justice system;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Expresses its concern at the persistent lack of independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary; urges Azerbaijan to cease to restrict access to the bar for lawyers engaging in human right cases and to stop using disciplinary procedures as a means to put pressure on those lawyers;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 21 21. Expresses its concern at the persistent lack of independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary as well as transparency of its decisions;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has resulted in the military aggression of Armenia and the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh region, tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Takes good note of the limited
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Takes good note of the limited progress 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; to strengthen the role of the judiciary within the Judicial Legal Council and to eliminate the government’s undue influence over the Prosecutor’s Office;
Amendment 332 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22.
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22. Takes
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 22.
Amendment 335 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Calls on Azerbaijan to take all necessary measures to ensure that all persons have adequate access to legal services provided by independent lawyers, and also to immediately take measures to ensure the right of access to a lawyer is effectively guaranteed to all persons from the beginning of deprivation of liberty;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Condemns the persecution of political opponents and calls for elections in accordance with international standards and in respect of Azerbaijan’s commitments as an OSCE participating state;
Amendment 337 #
22a. Condemns the massive-scale and illicit use of the NSO Group's Pegasus surveillance software by Azerbaijan against journalists, human rights defenders and politicians;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 a (new) 22a. Expresses concern about destabilising and terrorist actions, in the South Caucasus; strongly condemns any acts of terrorism; welcomes the security cooperation between the EU, its Member States and Azerbaijan and fully supports the further deepening of counterterrorism cooperation;
Amendment 339 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 b (new) 22b. Expresses concern about the use of disciplinary measures on improper grounds, such as expressing critical views in Azerbaijan and underlines that lawyers should comply with ethical standards and be able to engage in professional activities without fear of retaliation; urges authorities to bring the Code of Conduct inline with international standards on freedom of expression, as lawyers should speak out on behalf of their clients and on potential shortcomings in the justice system;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan provoked and later sustained by the Russian Federation, has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction of cultural and religious sites and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 b (new) 22b. Emphasizes the need to make any further cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan, conditional on the country´s respect for international standards and its international commitments, in particular related to democracy, human rights and the rule of law;
Amendment 341 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 c (new) Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 c (new) 22c. Underlines that good governance and respect for international law and standards are paramount to achieve long- lasting peace with Azerbaijan´s neighbours and in the wider region;
Amendment 343 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 d (new) 22d. Regrets that Azerbaijan is lacking a transparent public finance system, including regarding public procurement and tenders;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 22 e (new) 22e. Calls on Azerbaijan to make necessary amendments to the law in order to ensure the full independence of the Judicial-Legal Council and reinforce its immunity from the interventions by law- enforcement agencies;
Amendment 345 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23.
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Strongly welcomes Azerbaijan’s repeated support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine during the ongoing war; is, however, strongly concerned by the Declaration on Allied Interaction between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation signed in February 2022 in Moscow;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23.
Amendment 348 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 23. Strongly welcomes Azerbaijan’s repeated support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine during the ongoing war; urges Azerbaijan to ensure that sanctions against Russia are not circumvented;
Amendment 349 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23a. Condemns the massive scale and illicit use of the NSO Group´s Pegasus surveillance software and repressive cybersecurity by Azerbaijan against journalists, bloggers, human rights defenders, lawyers and politicians and calls on Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from using it; furthermore urges the Commission again to draw up a list of illicit surveillance software and to update this list continuously; calls for the EU and the Member States to use this list in order to ensure full human rights due diligence and proper vetting of exports of European surveillance technology and technical assistance and imports to Member States which pose a clear risk to the rule of law; reiterates its calls for the establishment of an EU Citizens’ Lab, comprising journalists, human rights experts and reverse malware engineering experts, which would work to discover and expose the unlawful use of software for illicit surveillance purposes;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23a. Strongly condemns Iran's military exercises along the Azerbaijan-Iranian border based on aggressive scenarios calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to cease any provocations and respect Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty;
Amendment 351 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 a (new) 23a. Recalls the important coordination role played by Azerbaijan in multilateral organizations in relation to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 b (new) 23b. Calls for stronger cooperation on counter-terrorism and countering radicalization and Islamist extremism;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 c (new) 23c. Invites the EU and other partners to assist Azerbaijan in demining activities; calls on Armenia to provide accurate maps of landmines in the de-occupied region of Azerbaijan;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 23 d (new) 23d. Welcomes Azerbaijan’s support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as the humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine during the ongoing war;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A A. whereas
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas the conflict between Azeribaijan and Armenia led to Russia’s deployment of approximately 2000 so- called peacekeeping troops to the Lachin corridor and in and around Nagorno- Karabakh as part of the ceasefire agreement; whereas skirmishes between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to take place; whereas the EU’s lack of strategic foresight has allowed Russia, and other actors to strengthen their influence in the South Caucasus;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to erupt periodically
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to erupt periodically; whereas the 9 November 2020 ceasefire agreement, introduced after the 44-day war triggered by Azerbaijan in 2020, has been violated several times resulting in more casualties;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 3 a (new) — having regard to its recommendations on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit,
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B B. whereas
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas Azerbaijani forces subjected numerous Armenian prisoners of war to physical abuse and acts of humiliation; whereas there are documented cases of torture and other abuse by Azerbaijani forces against Armenian civilians, including against older people, as well as a case of extrajudicial execution in early 2021; whereas allegations of at least a dozen other extrajudicial executions of Armenian troops and civilians in 2020 and early 2021 also came to light;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas Russian peace-keepers deployed in the region have been unwilling and unable to prevent further attacks from Azerbaijan, and their presence has been decreasing steadily, especially after the beginning of the Russian criminal war of aggression against Ukraine;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution Recital B a (new) Ba. whereas on 12 September 2022 Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale attack on Armenian internationally recognised sovereign territory in the east and south-east of the country;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU is committed to promoting a South Caucasus region that is secure, stable, peaceful and prosperous, basing its action on the promotion of democracy, rule of law and the respect for human rights; whereas Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine has serious security implications for the region; whereas the Treaty signed between Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev, and the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, the day before the begin of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has brought the relations between these two countries to the level of a fully-fledged alliance;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU is committed to promoting a South Caucasus region that is secure, stable, peaceful and prosperous and is ready to play an active role as reliable trade partner and honest broker in mediating a sustainable peace settlement;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU is committed to promoting a South Caucasus region that is secure, stable, peaceful and prosperous, with strong economic, political and cultural ties with the EU;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C C. whereas the EU
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas serious allegations about the involvement of the Azerbaijani authorities in the destruction of cemeteries, churches and historical monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh were set out in the Orders of the International Court of Justice of 7 December 2021;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 3 b (new) — having regard to its resolution of 9 March 2022 on foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation,
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas the European Union supports peaceful conflict resolution of any unresolved regional conflicts via diplomatic means;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D D. whereas the high-level meetings held in Brussels between President Aliyev
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas in March 2022, Azerbaijan proposed five basic principles for the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which included the mutual recognition of territorial integrity, inviolability of borders and political independence, mutual confirmation of the absence of territorial claims to each other, refraining from threatening each other’s national security, delimiting and demarcating the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, and opening transport communications; whereas Armenia had given a preliminary agreement to those principles proposal, it later responded with additional principles, which included security and rights of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh, determining the final status of the region, return of prisoners of war and restoration of communications;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas, following the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Macron and President Michel on 6 October in Prague, the EU has deployed a temporary monitoring mission along the Armenian side of the international border with Azerbaijan with the objective of monitoring, analysing and reporting on the situation in the region;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Recital D a (new) Da. whereas despite these commitments Azerbaijan started a military aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia just after the Brussels meeting and has not withdrawn its troops yet;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires that all violence cease and that all the root causes of conflict be
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires that all violence cease and that all the root causes of conflict be addressed including the right of self determination of indigenous ethnical Armenian communities living in Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and base for a lasting and just peace require
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires that all violence cease and that all the root causes of conflict be addressed in particular guaranteeing the rights and security of all the population of Nagorno-Karabakh;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 4 a (new) Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires that all violence cease
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires that all violence cease and that all the root causes of conflict be addressed in order to thus ensure the development of both countries;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E E. whereas a sustainable normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires that all violence cease and
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Recital E a (new) Ea. whereas the armed conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan have had a catastrophic impact on the cultural, religious and historical heritage of the whole region;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy supplier of energy, especially fossil fuels, to the EU and whereas it is becoming increasingly important in this role;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy supplier of
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 4 a (new) — having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh,
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy supplier of
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas the EU is Azerbaijan’s main trading partner and supports Azerbaijan’s WTO accession as well as the diversification, digitalisation and de- carbonisation of Azerbaijani economy;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Recital F a (new) Fa. whereas corruption is pervasive in Azerbaijan, and a free press and independent judiciary do not exist;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas negotiations on a new Partnership Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan are ongoing since 2018; whereas the new agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan should advance the interests of the EU in the region as well as promote human rights, democratic standards and principles, growth and economic development;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G G. whereas negotiations on a new Partnership Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan are ongoing since 201
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Recital G a (new) Ga. whereas there is a need to ensure connectivity between Europe and Asia that avoids crossing Russian territory; whereas Azerbaijan is strategically placed for the promotion of Euro-Asian connectivity; whereas the European Union has a strong interest in the deployment of efficient trade and energy corridors between Europe and Asia, as demonstrated by the EU-Central Asia Connectivity Conference to be held in Samarkand on 18 November 2022;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is still
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 5 — having regard to the statements of President Charles Michel of 14 December 2021, 6 April 2022, his press statements of 22 May 2022, 31 August 2022 following the trilateral meeting with President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as well as statement of 6 October 2022 following the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Macron and President Michel,
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is still unsatisfactory and highlight the risks of deepening the EU’s political and energy partnership with Azerbaijan;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is still unsatisfactory and needs further improvement;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is still
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H H. whereas Azerbaijan’s record in terms of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas a report of the Independent Investigation Body on the allegations of corruption within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of 15 April 2018 established that "a number of former PACE MPs […] had acted contrary to the PACE code of conduct;" and that "certain current and former members of PACE had engaged in activity of a corruptive nature" in favour of Azerbaijan;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas, in defiance of the First Article of the Azerbaijani Constitution and the law on freedom of assembly, the Azerbaijani authorities have imposed a ban on street protests by opposition and civil groups; whereas the citizens’ rights to free assembly are severely suppressed by the police and routinely end with the arrests of activists, in particular, those belonging to the political opposition;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas the EU and Azerbaijan have jointly agreed, through the 1996 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, on the general principle of respect for democracy, principles of international law and human rights; whereas the parties foresaw to cooperate on the respect and promotion of human rights particularly to those belonging to minorities;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution 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 9 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 5 — having regard to the statements of President Charles Michel of 14 December 2021, 6 April 2022, his Press Statements of 22May 2022, 31 August 2022 following the trilateral meeting with President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as well as Statement of 6 October 2022 following the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Macron and President Michel,
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H a (new) Ha. whereas Azerbaijan’s constitution provides for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association; whereas however, the government consistently and severely restricts the freedom of peaceful assembly, creating conditions leading to a de facto ban on assembly;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H b (new) Hb. whereas the Azerbaijani authorities are continuously downgrading the legal environment of the plurality of media and freedom of expression, particularly by amending the 2017 law on dissemination and Protection of Information providing a legal basis for blocking online resources, giving the Ministry of Transport, Communication and High Technologies the power to shut down internet news outlet without a court order; whereas furthermore by 2017 revision of the martial law allowing authorities to limit or suspend the operation of mass media outlets and control correspondence; whereas many broadcast licenses have been revoked;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H b (new) Hb. whereas the human rights of LGBTIQ people in Azerbaijan are at best discarded and at worst actively fought against by government and state institutions; whereas ILGA Europe’s Rainbow Index shows Azerbaijan as having the worst deficit in legislation and policy aiming to protect LGBTIQ people, ranking it in the worst place among all Council of Europe countries;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H b (new) Hb. whereas Azerbaijan has targeted journalists and opponents, including in the European Union, such as the assassination attempt of Azerbaijani blogger and opposition figure Mahammad Mirzali in Nantes; whereas Azerbaijani's political opponents have also been targeted by Azerbaijan's allies in the region, in particular via the Turkish diaspora;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution 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 95 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H b (new) Hb. whereas Russia´s war of aggression against Ukraine has had implications for the South Caucasus and has further complicated the security situation in the region;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H c (new) Hc. whereas hate speech and hate crime against LGBTIQ persons in Azerbaijan persist, often perpetrated by religious or political actors, leading to continued violation of their human rights; whereas in February 2022, Avaz Hafizli, a journalist and LGBTIQ human rights activist, was murdered by a family member, which spurred indignation on social media vis-à-vis the government’s poor track record of fighting against hate crime;1a whereas this is only one of the many examples of hate crimes, which due to lack of trust in law enforcement and their inaction, usually go unreported and unsanctioned; _________________ 1a https://globalvoices.org/2022/02/24/azerba ijani-journalist-and-queer-activist- murdered/
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H c (new) Hc. whereas political opponents, human rights activists and journalists become the target of hate speech and politically motivated violence, whereas these assaults are not sufficiently investigated; whereas many of these are imprisoned for their views in arbitrary cases;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H d (new) Hd. whereas PACE adopted in 2022 a resolution on violations of the rights of LGBTI persons in the Southern Caucasus and has made a number of requests to authorities to reform legislation in order to address such violations; whereas the PACE recommendations reflect the 2016 ECRI findings, which had noted an inexistence of data on LGBTI persons and their living conditions and that hate speech against them was widespread; whereas ECRI encouraged the government to develop an LGBTI Action Plan in order to raise awareness and promote understanding for equal treatment;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Recital H d (new) Hd. whereas Azerbaijan has been failing its due diligence obligation to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women and to provide effective legal measures; whereas gender-based violence remains pervasive but underreported in Azerbaijan; whereas there is a growth in femicide rates, while many of those are premeditated by family members; whereas serious gaps continue to exist in the official response including lack of protection and recourse for survivors; whereas rape and spousal rape is not effectively investigated;
source: 736.481
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History
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