63 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2021/2231(INI)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to its resolution of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5
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 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
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 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
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 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas since the collapse of the Soviet Unionover more than three decades, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas deadly military confrontations between Azerbaijan and Armenia continue to erupt periodically; whereas the 9 November 2020 ceasefire statement, introduced after 44-day war triggered by Azerbaijan in 2020, has been violated several times resulting in more casualties;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
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 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the high-level meetings held in Brussels between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan, mediated by President Charles Michel, resulted in encouraging developcommitments;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
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 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
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 addressall agreements reached between them are fully implemented;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas Azerbaijan is a reliable and trustworthy supplier of fossil fuels to the EU and whereas it is becoming increasingly important in this role;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas negotiations on a new Partnership Agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan are ongoing since 20187;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
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 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
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 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H b (new)
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 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
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
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 and, the OSCE Minsk Group’s Basic Principles and with all the agreements reached between parties, including the Alma Ata 1991 Declaration;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
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 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
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 and Azerbaijan must be respected andmilitary aggression by Azerbaijan in September 2022 against multiple targets in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and its consequences for the peace process; reiterates that the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia must be fully respected and Azerbaijani forces should withdraw to their initial positions; underlines the EU’'s readiness to be more actively involved in settling the region’'s protracted conflicts;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Strongly condemns the clashes that erupted on 12 September 2022rge-scale military attacks by Azerbaijan on 12 September 2022 against multiple targets in the sovereign territory of Armenia 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;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
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
Paragraph 3
3. Urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to fully implement the tripartite ceasefire agrestatement of 9 November 2020; calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid using inflammatory rhetoric and to and condemns Azerbaijan for the regular violations of the ceasefire; recalls that the implementation of article 9 of the ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 cannot go against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia; calls on both parties to urgently implement measures to prepare their respective populations for peaceful coexistence; calls in this respect on the Azerbaijani authorities to stop using inflammatory rhetoric which threatens the peace process;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
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 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
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 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
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 to be actively engaged; deplores however that Azerbaijan did not respect its commitment to the EU and has invaded the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia few days after the meeting with the President of the Council; 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 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
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 and contribute to the border commissionmeeting of delimitation commissions on 3rd November 2022 in Brussels and the deployment of a civilian EU mission in Armenia alongside its border with Azerbaijan to build trust and contribute to the border commissions; calls on Azerbaijan to cooperate with the EU mission and grant it access to its territory when necessary; calls on EU member states and the European External Action Service to extend the mandate of the mission and substantially increase its staff so that it can effectively perform its monitoring, confidence-building, and stabilisation functions along the border between the two countries;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Takes note of the initial progress made on the process of border delimitation; welcomes the agreementWelcomes the agreement reached at the quadrilateral meeting between President Aliyev, Prime Minister Pashinyan, French President Macron and President of the European Council Michel to deploy a civilian EU mission to build trust and contribute to the border commissionof 40 EU civilian monitoring experts for a period of two months in order to build trust between the two countries and support the work of the border commissions; welcomes in this respect the holding of the 3rd meeting of the border commissions in Brussels and urges the EU to closely follow up on this process;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
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 and contribute to the border commissionscalls for the demarcation process to be internationally facilitated by the EU and/or OSCE in order to ensure credibility, fairness and sustainability;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
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 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls on Azerbaijan to cooperate fully with the EU Monitoring Capacity and grant it due access;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
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 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
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 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
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 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia refCondemns Azerbaijan's continued policy of destroying, erasin from destroying 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 preconditg and denying the existence of the Armenian cultural, religious or historical heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in violation of international law and the decision of the International Court of Justice of 7 December 2021; calls for the restoration of damaged sites in accordance with UNESCO standards and indications; calls the EU to actively push Azerbaijan to participate in efforts to protect at-risk cultural heritage notably by deploying mechanisms to facilitate UNESCO's fact finding missions without preconditions; deplores that after the two years since the signing of the ceasefire statement of November 9 2020, the UNESCO mission has not been able to visit the regions;
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
Paragraph 8
8. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan and Armenia prefrain from destroyingserve, protect and promote 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 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
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 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
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)
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)
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 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
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 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
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 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
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 diversificationIs concerned about Azerbaijan’s increasing role as a provider of fossil fuels to the EU and in the EU’s energy diversification strategy, given Azerbaijan’s aggressive action against Armenia and poor democracy and rights record; calls on the European External Action Service, the European Commission and EU Member States to consider the political risks of deepening dependency on Baku in the EU’s security of energy supply and climate neutrality strategies;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
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 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
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 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
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 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
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 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
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
Paragraph 17
17. Deeply rRegrets 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 lawunderlines fundamental importance of freedom of expression and freedom of media in democratic societies; calls on Azerbaijan to double its efforts in enabling an independent and pluralistic media environment, including by reviewing the new law on media adopted in December 2021 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;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
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 291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Strongly insists that Azerbaijan cease all repression of political opposition activists both domestically and abroad;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
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 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
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)
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 305 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
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)
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 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
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 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 c (new)
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 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
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 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 e (new)
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 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
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;
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 348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
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;