26 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2020/2113(INI)
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the US continues to play a relevant role in the region, including through a direct military presence; whereas Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt all have major non- NATO ally status, EU Member States, Iran, Russia, Turkey and UN peace keeping forces have a direct military presence in the region;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the summit of 27 to 28 March 2022 between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco aiming to create a security alliance, which was also attended by the US Secretary of State, paved the way for a new regional approach to security and confirmed the countries’ intention to divide the region into blocks;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas EU Member States continue to export arms to countries in the region despite ongoing conflicts and reports of internal repressionhave stepped up their security ties with the region amidst a gradual withdrawal of the US from Iraq since 2020 and Saudi Arabia since 2003;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas countries in the region are keyimportant trading partners for the EU and there are important economic ties between the two sides; whereas the ongoing global energy crisis; whereas the latest energy crisis exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine has led to increased contact with Qatar and other countries in the region on the import of energy resources into the EU; whereas there is potential for stronger cooperation in other areas such as the green transition, tourism, better governance, culture, education and human rights;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas problems associated with non-inclusive governance and breaches of the rule of law in the region are a significant source of instability; whereas the imprisonment or torture of political opposition figures and social activists across the region is paving the way for further conflicthas increased in response to the legitimate democratic aspirations expressed in the Arab spring in 2011;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas the definitions of stability and security are positively related to democratic development and to the respect of rule of law; whereas recent research1a in political economy confirms that "there is an economically and statistically significant positive effect of democracy on future GDP per capita", and implies that "long-run GDP increases by about 20- 25% in the 25 years following a democratization" process; _________________ 1a https://economics.mit.edu/files/16686
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the EU guidelines on violence against women and girls andfull inclusion of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts has proven to be beneficial in promoting security and stability globally; whereas the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality shouldcontinues to be at the core of ithe EU's strategy for the region; whereas women’s human rights are beingfundamental rights continue to be systematically violated and women’s rights activists in the region continue to be detained and imprisoned in the regionharassed, intimidated, imprisoned or barred from travelling;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas studies have demonstrated that the clampdown on media pluralism and freedom of the press has further destabilised the region, by increasing the promotion of violence and demonizing all opposition voices;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the region is becoming increasingly polarised into blocks; considers this counterproductive for the EU’s goals in the area of stability and security; calls on the EU to enhance its bilateral discussions with all the different stakeholderhas undergone historical changes since the Arab spring of 2011; stresses however that the instability that has followed has been caused by the decision of authoritarian regimes to use violence against peaceful protests and criticism, and not by the fact that their citizens had the courage to demand more rights and freedoms;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the important role the EU could play in facilitating dialogue between regional and local stakeholders, including civil society peaceful opposition voices, unions and the business community, which is key to fostering stability; calls, therefore, for cooperation with the regional supranatcivil society actors and the regional organisations to be enhanced;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Expresses its concern about the growing food crisis in the region caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, calls on the governments of the region to cooperate in addressing food shortages, and calls on the EU to play an active role and provide support in this area;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Recalls that Syria is not a safe country of return for the seven million refugees who have fled repression and conflict since 2011;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses the particular responsibility of the Syrian regime in destabilising the region following its all- out repression on peaceful protesters in 2011; underlines the particular responsibility of Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, in opposing 18 vetoes against the UN Security Council resolutions which aimed at finding a political situation to the Syrian crisis since 2011; recalls the human tragedy caused by the killing of half a million Syrians and the displacement of over half of its population internally and as refugees across the region and Europe; urges Syria to stop using chemical weapons on its civilian population; welcomes the decision of April 2021 of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to suspend Syria's members from the organisation;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Stresses the humanitarian disaster caused by the war in Yemen since 2016; calls on all parties to abide by International Humanitarian Law and fully engage in the UN-led peace talks;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the countries in the region to refrain from exporting arms or combatants or intervening militarily in other countries, as such interventions are some of the main causes ofcontribute to regional destabilisation; firmly opposes the use of drones in extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings of terror suspects and demands a ban on the use of drones for this purpose;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Expresses deep concern about a potential nuclear race in the region and calls on the EU to activatestep up all diplomatic efforts to avoid it; calls on Israel to ratify the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Highlights the need to combat the funding of terrorist organisations and activities; stresses that the EU must help to stop money laundering and stem illicit financial flows by adopting a clear strategy to address the shortcomings in controlling these kind of funds by several states in the region; deplores the UAE's welcoming safe haven for Russian oligarchs avoiding EU sanctions on Russia; underlines that the advanced and historical security partnership with the region requires a joint approach towards Russia's aggression of Ukraine and fundamental European interests; equally deplores that EU sanctions on the Syrian regime have been circumvented via Lebanon, Iran and Russia since 2011;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines the importance of a constant and growing EU political and diplomatic presence in the region in promoting strategic political dialogue and fostering exchanges between countries in the region in order to promote stability; urges the EU and its Member States to increase diplomatic and political for democracy, human rights and the rule of law as demanded by peaceful popular movements across the MENA region;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Underlines the importance to tackle disinformation and spread of fake news in the region and calls on the EU to take appropriate action, in particular by supporting independent media and educational civic initiatives to promote critical thinking;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the EU to further promote the development of a strong and independent civil society in the region; highlights that the shrinking civil space in several countries poses a threat to regional stability; deeply deplores the sharp deterioration of freedom of association and attacks against civil society organizations, whether through legal or de facto repression and intimidation, in a number of countries in the past decade; strongly reaffirms that defending basic civil and political rights and freedoms are a legitimate field of work for civil society organizations, including in the MENA region;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls on the authorities in the region to uphold the ban on torture as enshrined in particulareffectively ban torture under all circumstances as enshrined in the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which most of them have signed and ratified; calls for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the region;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Stresses that the prospect of being arbitrarily detained and tortured constitutes an unacceptable form of insecurity to all the citizens of the region, causing more social unrest, mistrust and resentment towards national institutions;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Calls on authorities to release all prisoners of conscience, including journalists and citizen journalists, and to allow a free, independent and diverse media landscape to develop in the long term interest of their own stability and security;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Calls on the EU to pay special attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict due to its exceptional length and to current perspectives that do not allow for a realistic path towards the stability across the MENA region;