51 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2021/2199(INI)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the Council conclusions of 24 January 2022 on the European security situation,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 37 a (new)
Citation 37 a (new)
— having regard to the Charter of the United Nations and the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
Amendment 10 #
— having regard to the Minsk Protocol of 5 September 2014, the Minsk Memorandum of 19 September 2014 and the package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, adopted and signed in Minsk on 12 February 2015, and endorsed as a whole by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2202 (2015) of 17 February 2015,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 50
Citation 50
— having regard to its previous resolutions on Russia, especially those related to Russia’s actions in the territories of the EaP countries, violations of the rights of the Crimean Tatars, the occupation of parts of the territory of Georgia and Ukraine and related borderisation activities, and hostile propaganda and disinformation against the EU and the EaP countries,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EaP is part of the EU’s comprehensive approach to security, specifically designed to bolster relationships with the six EaP countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, to help promote peace and stability on the EU’s eastern flank;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EaP Summit on 15 December 2021 resulted in increased efforts to bolsterenhance resilience, security dialogue and cooperation in the areas of the CSDP;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the 2014 invasion and illegal annextemporary occupation of Crimea demonstrated that Russia rejects EU or NATO aspirations in former Soviet territoof the EaP countries and is determined to contend and contest any attempts to aid democratic development in a region which it considers its ‘near abroad’;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the direct military aggression against Georgia in 2008 and subsequent occupation of 20% of its territories and 2014 invasion and illegal annexation of Crimea demonstrated that Russia rejects EU or NATO aspirations in former Soviet territories and is determined to contend and contest any attempts to aid democratic development in a region which it considers its ‘near abroad’;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas Russia, against the backdrop of a crisis on the EU-Belarusian border, has amassed over 1020 000 troops on the border of Ukraine, in the occupied territories of Eastern Ukraine and in Crimea in an offensive formation while increasing its hybrid warfare tactics targeting the elected government in KyivUkrainian authorities, creating widespread concern about a potential secondnew full-scale invasion of Ukraine; whereas on 13-14 January 2022 Ukraine experienced a massive cyber-attack against its key government websites;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
I a. whereas Russia seeks to renegotiate the European security architecture by raising the spectre of a possible war in Ukraine, and to extract promises from the transatlantic community not to accept Ukraine and Georgia into NATO; whereas the EU, NATO and their Member States advocate for a peaceful diplomatic solution, reject Russia’s demands and work to enhance Ukraine’s resilience and ability to defend;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas following the electoral unrest, Belarus has largely abandoned its aim of fostering better relations with the EU, having reversed trends towards democratisation and taken to weaponising refugeemigrants in an attempt to uproot domestic aspirations towards liberalisation and destabilise EU Member States bordering Belarus, notably Lithuania, Latvia and Poland;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)
Recital J a (new)
J a. whereas the illegitimate regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka seeking to remain in power tightened relations with Putin’s Russia, agreed to deepen the Union State integration, to host Russian troops along the Belarus-Ukraine border and declared a commitment to fight alongside Russia in case of war;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J b (new)
Recital J b (new)
J b. whereas in January 2022, Armenia and Belarus took part in a Russian-led CSTO mission to Kazakhstan to intervene in civil unrest and ensure continuation of the current ruling regime;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the Russian Federation is continuing to further reinforce its illegal military presence in Georgia’s occupied territories and to intensify its military build-up and military exercises, as well as to continue installation of barbed wire fences and other barriers along the occupation lines, seriously destabilising the security situation on the ground;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital N
Recital N
N. whereas the threats posed to the EU’s east not only concern friction with Russia but also terrorism, organised crime, human trafficking, corruption, mass irregular migration, environmental pollution as a result of military conflict and a host of other threats to the cohesion of societies both within and outside the EU;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital W
Recital W
W. whereas in its 13 years of existence, the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) has represented the strong political commitment of the EU in the region by providingcontributing to stability and security to conflict-affected communitieson the ground;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital X a (new)
Recital X a (new)
X a. whereas Member States, Ukraine and other international partners established the International Crimea Platform – a consultation and coordination format aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the international response to the ongoing temporary occupation of Crimea, reaffirming the non-recognition of its annexation and achieving de-occupation of Crimea and its peaceful return under Ukraine’s control;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Y
Recital Y
Y. whereas the original mandate from 2008 remains unchanged as regards monitoring the implementation of the six- point agreementEU- mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement between Georgia and Russia;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Z
Recital Z
Z. whereas Russia does not comply with the six-point agreement as itEU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement between Georgia and Russia as it illegally maintains a presence of its armed forces and Federal Security Service (FSB) agents in the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions, whodoes not allow establishment of international security mechanisms on the ground, likewise prevents the EUMM from entering the territories that are beyond the control of the Government of Georgoccupied by Russia, a critical obstruction to the accomplishment of mission objectives; whereas the EUMM is not able to prevent Russian borderization of pushing administrative boundary lines into Georgian territory and further expanding territorial occupation of Georgia;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AA
Recital AA
AA. whereas flagrant violations of the six-point aEU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement and ceasefire by occupying forces are often met with limited responses or calls to action by Member States, or no response at all, which risks emboldening the occupying forces to carry out more such actions;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AC
Recital AC
AC. whereas the EUMM is a target of disinformation activities, especially by media outlets and social media channels based in breakawayoccupied regions supported by Russia, forcing the EUMM to organise its internal resources to provide the necessary cooperation and explore ways to counter disinformation;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AD
Recital AD
AD. whereas the EUMM has created a new confidence-building mechanism – a ‘hotline’ – which is the only channel of communication between the Government of Georgia and the de facto authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, including Russia’s FSB border guards deployed in both territoriessupports the negotiation formats and communication channels through participating in the Geneva International Discussions (GID), co-chairing the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meetings in Ergneti, noting with concern that Gali IPRM has been suspended for more than 3 years due to Russia’s destructive attitude, and efficiently handling the ‘hotline’ – which is the significant 24/7 channel of communication on urgent incidents on the ground; whereas this hotline was activated 3 000 times in 2020;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AF
Recital AF
AF. whereas the EUMM’s role in securing the release of detained border guards, as well as its efforts to address the human security and humanitarian needs of the local population in conflict-affected areas, including to assist sick people from the occupied territories in getting proper treatment in Georgian government- controlled territory, adds tremendous value to the important role the EUMM plays in both conflict managementtributing to security and confidence building;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AJ
Recital AJ
AJ. whereas the United Kingdom provides capacity building and non-lethal training to over 20 000 Ukrainian armed forces personnel, in the face of the rising threat of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border, supplied defensive weapons systems and signed an agreement for a 1.7 billion pounds loan to strengthen Ukraine’s navy;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AK a (new)
Recital AK a (new)
AK a. whereas Lithuania-Polish- Ukrainian brigade is the largest structure for training and manoeuvre between European and Ukrainian armed forces;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital AK b (new)
Recital AK b (new)
AK b. whereas several EU Member States, in particular the Baltic states, have sent lethal weapons to Ukraine to reinforce its preparedness in case of a Russian invasion;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Is deeply concerned about military tensions on Ukraine’s borders, reiterates its call on the Russian Federation to cease its provocations, to stop all measures that further aggravate the conflict and to de- escalate tensions in line with its international obligations, such as the OSCE principles and commitments on transparency of military movements and the Vienna Document;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1 a. Taking into account security challenges faced by the EaP countries, particularly protracted conflicts, overt military actions, hybrid threats and interference into democratic processes, urges the EU to invest more in the capacities, security and defence of its immediate neighbourhood to match the ambitions of a more geopolitical and strategically sovereign EU;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1 b. Considers that attempts to appease Russia by limiting security engagement with the EaP countries are counterproductive, as Russia, among other threatening actors, is taking the advantage and strengthens its malign influence in the EaP region;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 d (new)
Paragraph -1 d (new)
-1 d. Calls upon developing strategic security partnerships with the EaP countries, which include military and intelligence engagement, active role in conflict resolution process, cooperation in cyber-security, protection of critical infrastructure, countering hybrid threats, disinformation and propaganda, developing realistic national defence strategies, professional education of personnel in defence and security agencies, assisting and cooperating on civilian defence and achieving the whole- of-government/society approach in the EaP countries’ security;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the decision of the European Council of 2 December 2021 to utilise the European Peace Facility (EPF) in providing Ukraine with a package of EUR 31 million, Georgia with a package of EUR 12.75 million and Moldova with a package of EUR 7 million to assist in strengthening their resilience and defence capabilities, particularly cybersecurity, medical, engineering, mobile and logistics capabilities; encourages further utilisation of the EPF to increase the ability of EaP countries to exchange intelligence via secure communication lines, particularly those EaP countries hostingcovered by CSDP missions;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Considers it essential that the EU supports and launches a comprehensive Security Sector Review in the associated EaP countries, which identifies areas of defence and security that need to be improved and enables the EU and the Member States to coordinate their support;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Calls on the Council and the EEAS to continue to build confidence, reduce tensions and work towards a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan; highlights the importance of full exchange and release of detainees, addressing the fate of missing persons, facilitating humanitarian de-demining, ensuring safe and free movement of civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh, assisting conflict-affected populations, supporting reconstruction efforts and preservation of cultural heritage;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Encourages Member States to ensure that any provision of equipment support via the EPF to EaP countries is in line with the needs of the EaP country and is carried out in collaboration with NATO strategic planning in order to avoid duplication; calls upon the Member States to restrain from overusing their power in technical procedures to block already made decisions regarding equipment provisions to the EaP countries;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Encourages Member States to develop military aid instruments enabling the EaP countries to purchase large-scale and expensive equipment from the EU producers;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Encourages Member States each to deploy personnel to CSDP missions in EaP countries to ensure all Member States are represented in missions throughout the region and to encourage greater participation by non-EU countries in these missions, particularly former communist countries that have hosted successfully completed CSDP mission; acknowledges and calls for continuous EaP countries’ participation in CSDP missions and operations in third countries;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Encourages Member States to expand support mechanisms for the participation of EaP countries in CSDP misscivilian and military missions and operations;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Encourages the Member States to expand their support to Ukraine in its efforts transforming defence sector which is undergoing fundamental reforms that will have long-term consequences for the Ukrainian armed forces, their ability to ensure Ukraine’s security, and public trust and confidence; welcomes the VP/HR initiative and invites the Member States to launch CSDP military advisory and training mission in Ukraine to assist in reforming Ukrainian professional military education system, which is the most significant area for facilitating change and ensuring the sustainability of the transformation of the defence system;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9 b. Calls on EU and its Member States to support Ukraine in strengthening its military resilience through providing defence weapons of different kinds;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Encourages Members States to consider engaging in joint exercises with the EaP countries in areas such as maritime exercises, common air support operations and peace support;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 d (new)
Paragraph 9 d (new)
9 d. Encourages to expand the Military Erasmus Program by accepting officers from the EaP countries, also to fund their studies in military academies across the EU;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 e (new)
Paragraph 9 e (new)
9 e. Expresses concerns and urges to address prevailing politisation of and political influences on defence forces in EaP countries resulting into politically motivated removal or downgrading of officers educated and trained in the programmes supported by the EU, the Member States and other partner countries;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) to ensure that the upcoming Strategic Compass dedicates ample focus to EaP countries, including resilience to Russian provocations and threats, and that it is closely coordinated with NATO’s upcoming Strategic Concept 2022, especially in areas of cyber defence and countering hybrid warfare;
Amendment 374 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Encourages Member States to useconsider the third-country PESCO agreement over military mobility as a template for EaP country participation, with an emphasis on tailoring PESCO projects to the needs of CSDP missions and on developing highly encrypted secure civilian communication systemsparticipation in PESCO, using an example of a military mobility project, with an emphasis on PESCO projects which would contribute to strengthening cooperation and countries‘ capabilities, thus enhancing the abilities to fill the needs of CSDP missions and on developing highly encrypted secure civilian communication systems; notes that inclusion of EaP countries in PESCO projects is mutually beneficial, as the EaP countries obtain unique capacities and expertise, particularly in addressing hybrid threats and cyber security;
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Calls for closer coordination with the OSCE in order to address security challenges in the EaP region, particularly in the areas of human trafficking, arms control, illegal migration, confidence- building and facilitating dialogue among all parties to the crisis;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16 b. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS and encourages Member States to contribute to the cooperation within the International Crimea Platform to address the hybrid threats to wider Black Sea region security posed by or related to Russia’s temporary occupation in Crimea, militarization of the Black and Azov Seas;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission, the EEAS and the CPCC to ensure that the EUAM maintains as its priority the reform of Ukraine’s national security servicethe Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and to strengthen cooperation with the SSU on cybersecurity related matters, countering terrorism and hybrid threats;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Encourages Member States to strengthen the professional component of the EUAM by special services representatives in order to effectively implement reforms and provide practical advice;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Amendment 431 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)