Activities of Georgios KYRTSOS related to 2021/2250(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2021 Report on Turkey (debate)
Amendments (32)
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to the Council’s conclusions on Enlargement and Association and Stabilisation Process of 14 December 2021, the Statement of the Members of the European Council of 25 March 2021 on the Eastern Mediterranean, to the European Council’s conclusions of 24 June 2021 and 1 October 2020, and to all previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
— having regard to the UNESCO statement of 10 July 2020 on Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
— having regard to the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council on Cyprus, including resolution 550(1984) of 11 May 1984 on secessionist actions in Cyprus and resolution 789(1992) of 25 November 1992 which consider attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible, and call for the transfer of that area to the administration of the United Nations urging all concerned in the Cyprus question to commit themselves to the confidence-building measures set out in the resolution,
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas Turkey has been linked to the EU by an association agreement since 1964 and whereas a customs union was established in 1995; whereas the European Council granted the status of candidate country to Turkey in December 1999 and whereas accession negotiations were opened in 2005; whereas as a candidate country and as an important partner of the EU, Turkey is expected to respect and uphold the Copenhagen criteria and to uphold the highest standards of democracy, respect of human rights and the rule of law, including compliance with the international conventions acceded to by the EU; whereas being a candidate country entails the need to pursue and maintain good neighbourly relations with the EU and its Member States indiscriminately;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Turkey, besides being a candidate for EU accession, is a key partner in relation to the economy, trade and migration, as well as a strategic partneressential areas of joint interest, such as migration, public health, climate, counter – terrorism and regional issues;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas, in the aftermath of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European Council offered to nurture a more positive dynamic in EU-Turkey relations by expressing readiness to engage with Turkey in a phased, proportionate and reversible manner in a number of areas of common interest, provided that the de-escalation of recent tensions between the EU and Turkey, particularly in relation to the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, is sustained and that Turkey engages constructively and subject to the established conditionalities set out in previous European Council conclusions;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas being a candidate country presumes a willingness to progressively approach in all aspects the values, interests, standards and policies of the EU; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveal that Turkey’s distance from the EU’s values and its normative framework is still considerable and is even growing in fundamental areas such as the rule of law and human rights as well as good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas over the past year, EU- Turkey relations have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflictsthe Council reiterated that Turkey continues to move further away from the European Union, and that Turkey’s accession negotiations have effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing, while according to the Commission, the underlying facts leading to this assessment still hold; nonetheless, dialogue and cooperation with Turkey increased in 2021; whereas this report reflects this situation by welcoming positive developments and pointing to further potential in the relationship, while signalling remaining problems, in particular as regards the rule of law and fundamental rights and good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Reiterates its concern about the persistent distance between the EU and Turkey, despite it being a candidate country, in terms of values and standards, and the continuing lack of political will to carry out the necessary reforms to address, in particular, the serious concerns about the rule of law and fundamental rights that continue to negatively affect the accession process; notes that, in addition to this, unilateral actions in breach of international law in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea as well as strong and provocative statements against the EU and its Member States have deteriorated EU-Turkey relations; considers that without clear progress in thisese fields, Parliament cannot envisage any resumption of accession negotiations with Turkey, which have effectively been at a standstill since 2018;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes, however, that there has been a slight improvement over the past year in overall EU-Turkey relations, which have on average remained stable, as enhanced cooperation and dialogue on a number of issues have coexisted with regular conflicts that good neighbourly relations form an essential part of moving towards the EU; notes that bilateral relations remained challenging with neighbouring EU Member States, particularly Greece and Cyprus; notes that tensions in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean were not conducive to good neighbourly relations and undermined regional stability and security; expresses its hope that this pattern of ‘conflictual cooperation’ can be overcome and replaced with a more positive dynamic;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates its firm conviction that Turkey is a country of strategic relevance in political, economic and foreign policy terms, a partner that is key for the stability of the wider region,the European Union’s strategic interest in a stable and secure environment in the Eastern Mediterranean and ain ally with which the EU wishes to pursue the best possible relationsthe development of a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey; welcomes, in this view, the recent statements expressed at the highest level by the Turkish authorities about the recommitment of the Turkish Government to the EU path, but urges the Turkish authorities to put their words into action and demonstrate this commitment with specific facts and decisions;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Expresses concern over the current economic situation in Turkey, which through soaring inflation and a constantly rising cost of living is pushing a high and increasing number of people into hardship and poverty as reflected in the OECD 2021 Report on Turkey;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Calls on the Turkish authorities to promote positive and effective reforms in the area of the freedom of thought, conscience and religion by enabling religious communities to obtain legal personality, and by applying Venice Commission recommendations on the status of religious communities, all relevant ECtHR rulings and Council of Europe resolutions, including on the Greek Orthodox population of the islands of Gokceada (Imbros) and Bozcaada (Tenedos); notes that following the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque in July 2020, another museum among the World Heritage Sites in Turkey was converted into a mosque; notes the recent developments with regard to the historical Panaghia Soumela Monastery, when images on social media depicted a foreign band dancing to disco music inside this monument, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list; notes that no steps were taken to open the Halki (Heybeliada) Greek Orthodox Seminary, closed since 1971; reiterates its call on Turkey to respect the importance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for Orthodox Christians all over the world, to recognise its legal personality and the public use of the ecclesiastical title of the Ecumenical Patriarch; notes with concern that hate speech and hate crimes against Christians and Jews continued to be reported, Alevis faced hate crimes, and investigations in this regard remained ineffective
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes with great concernStrongly condemns the indictment refilled by Turkey’s Chief Public Prosecutor at the Constitutional Court seeking the dissolution of the HDP and a political ban on nearly 500 HDP members, including most of its current leadership, which would prevent them from conducting any kind of political activity in the next five years and that the HDP and its party organisations have been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities, leading to a situation where over 4 000 HDP members are currently in prison; continues to strongly condemn the continued detention since November 2016 of Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, the former co-chairs of the HDP;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future; calls on Turkey to ensure the full and non-discriminatory implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement of 2016, including vis a vis the Republic of Cyprus, as well as to resume the readmission of returnees from the Greek islands interrupted in March 2020, and Turkey’s obligation to take any necessary measures to prevent new sea or land routes for illegal migration opening from Turkey to the EU, and its will to cooperate with neighbouring states as well as the EU to this effect and with fundamental rights as part of its implementation process; Believes that strengthening trade relations could bring concrete benefits to citizens in Turkey and the EU therefore takes note of the Commission’s proposal to work on a mandate on the potential upgrading of the Customs Union provided that it is implemented vis-à-vis all Member States would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms and that it can only be envisaged following Turkey’s full implementation of the Additional Protocol to extend the Association Agreement towards all Member States without reserve and in a non-discriminatory fashion; stresses that both parties must be fully aware of this democratic conditionality from the very onset of any negotiations, as the Parliament will not give its consent to the final agreement without results on the aforementioned preconditions in this field; notes that visa liberalisation would constitute an important step towards facilitating people-to-people contacts and is of great importance for Turkish citizens, particularly for students, academics, business representatives and people with family ties in EU Member States; continues its support for the visa liberalisation process once the set conditions have been fully and effectively implemented and encourages the Turkish Government to fully comply with the 72 criteria identified in the visa liberalisation roadmap in a non-discriminatory manner towards all member-states; stresses that there has been very little real progress on the outstanding benchmarks still to be fulfilled by Turkey; notes that the new Action Plan on Human Rights foresees the acceleration of the fulfilment of the remaining benchmarks; stresses that the revision of Turkey’s anti-terrorism legislation and Data Protection Law are key conditions for ensuring fundamental rights and freedoms; regrets that as a result of Turkey’s instrumentalization of refugees a continuing increase in asylum applications was registered in Cyprus in 2021; notes that pending the full and effective implementation of the EU- Turkey Readmission Agreement vis-à-vis all Member States, existing bilateral readmission agreements and provisions in similar agreements and arrangements with EU Member States, should be adequately implemented; cooperation in the area of justice and home affairs with all EU Member States remains essential;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Commends the efforts made by Turkey to continue hosting the largest refugee population in the world; welcomes, in this regard, the continued provision of EU funding for refugees and host communities in Turkey, and expresses its commitment to sustain this support in the future; emphasises that the instrumentalisation of migrants and refugees cannot be accepted as a tool for political leverage and blackmail; notes that pending the full and effective implementation of the Joint EU – Turkey Statement of 2016 and the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement vis-à-vis all Member States, existing bilateral readmission agreements and provisions in similar agreements and arrangements with Member States should be adequately implemented; effective border management, as well as the resumption of returns, continue to be priorities;
Amendment 407 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Acknowledges that Turkey can pursue its own foreign policy in line with its interests and goals, but expects this policy to be defended through diplomacy and dialogue based on international law and, as a candidate country, to be increasingly aligned with that of the EU; notes that Turkey’s CFSP alignment remained at very low levels and its increasingly assertive foreign policy continued to collide with the EU priorities under the CFSP, notably due to its support for military actions in the Caucasus, Syria, Libya and Iraq; notes that the EU has repeatedly stressed the need for Turkey to respect the sovereign rights of EU member states, which include entering into bilateral agreements and exploring and exploiting their natural resources in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; stresses that Turkey needs to commit itself unequivocally to good neighbourly relations, international agreements and to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter, having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the decrease in tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved; condemns, in this regard, the continuous harassment and hindrance by Turkish warships of research vessels from performing surveys on the potential route of the East Med Pipeline, which is an energy project of EU Common Interest (PCI), within the EEZ/ continental shelf of Member States; calls on Turkey to respect the sovereignty of all EU Member States over their territorial sea and airspace as well as their sovereign rights, including inter alia the right to explore and exploit natural resources, in accordance with EU and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is part of the EU acquis; continues to urge Turkey to unequivocally commit to good neighborly relations, international agreements and to the peaceful settlement of disputes, having recourse, if necessary to the International Court of Justice and to refrain from any unilateral action or threats; supports, in this respect, the invitation by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to Turkey to negotiate in good faith the maritime delimitation between their relevant coasts, or have recourse, to the International Court of Justice, and calls on Turkey to accept Cyprus’ invitation; reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to halt its plans for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which will be located in a region prone to severe earthquakes, therefore posing a major threat not only to Turkey, but also to the Mediterranean region; requests, accordingly, that the Turkish Government join the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention), which commits its parties to notifying and consulting each other about major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across borders; asks the Turkish Government, to this end, to involve or at least consult the governments of its neighbouring countries in relation to any further developments in the Akkuyu venture;
Amendment 448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. WelcomNotes theat decrease in tensspite the initial indications towards a de-escalations in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past year, but remains fully aware that these positive dynamics could be reversed at any moment while the underlying issues remain unresolved tensions continued to remain high with Member States, in particular Greece and Cyprus;
Amendment 460 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. DeploRegrets the fact that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus is a major obstacle to EU-Cyprus problem remains unresolved and stresses that a solution in line with the relevant UNSC resolutions will have a positive impact on Turkey’s relations with the EU; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, as set out in relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for the principles on which the Union is founded and the acquis;; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN frameworke agreed UN framework and its insistence to a two state solution in Cyprus and that it continues to violate UN Security Council resolutions, with unilateral, illegal and provocative actions including by the opening of the fenced off area of Varosha; notes that EU funding to Turkey will be subject to rules on conditionality, including for respecting the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and European values and principles; praises the important work of the bi- communal Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) and calls on the Turkish authorities to advance their efforts to provide the CMP proprio motu and without delay with all information at their disposal relating to burial sites and any other places where remains might be found, including information in military archives;
Amendment 468 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Deplores the fact that the unresolved conflict in Cyprus isremains unresolved, constituting a major obstacle to EU-Turkey relations; reaffirms its view that the only sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is that of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement, including its external aspects, within the UN framework, on the basis of a bi- communal, bi-zonal federation with a single international legal personality and political equality, in accordance with international law and on the basis of respect for, with all relevant UNSC resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EUnion is founded and the acquis; deeply regrets that Turkey has abandoned this UN framework; the EU will continue to play an active role in supporting the process;
Amendment 477 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Strongly condemns Turkey’s unilateral actions in relation to Varosha that run contrary to the UN Security Council Resolutions and recalls the importance of the status of Varosha and the need for full respect of UN Security Council Resolutions, in particular Resolutions 550, 789 and 1251, as underlined by the 24 June 2021 European Council. The Council calls for the immediate reversal of these actions and the reversal of all steps taken on Varosha since October 2020;
Amendment 488 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24 b. Strongly condemns Turkey’s illegal activities in Greek and Cypriot waters, as well as its violations of the Greek national airspace, including overflights of inhabited areas, and its territorial sea, which violate both the sovereignty and the sovereign rights of an EU Member State and international law; expresses its full solidarity with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus; reaffirms the right of the Republic of Cyprus to enter into bilateral agreements on its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and explore and exploit its natural resources in full compliance with relevant international law; expresses its grave concern about the illegal Turkish fishing activities within Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea and the unregulated and unreported fishing activities of Turkish fishing fleets in international waters in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean; calls on all sides for a genuine collective engagement to negotiate the delimitation of EEZs and the continental shelf in good faith, fully respecting international law and the principle of good relations between neighbours; notes with regret that the casus belli declared by the TGNA against Greece in 1995 has not been withdrawn yet; welcomes the continuation of exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey, which seek to address, the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ in line with international law; reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to sign and ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which is part of the European Union acquis; notes that the Council’s conclusions of 15 July 2019, in the light of Turkey’s continued and new illegal drilling activities, not to hold the Association Council and further meetings of the EU-Turkey high-level dialogues for the time being remain valid, urges Turkey to unequivocally commit to good neighbourly relations, international agreements and to the peaceful settlement of disputes, having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice; Turkey must stop all threats and actions that damage good neighbourly relations, normalise its relations with the Republic of Cyprus and respect the sovereignty of all EU Member States over their territorial sea and airspace as well as all their sovereign rights, including inter alia the right to explore and exploit natural resources, in accordance with EU and international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS);
Amendment 498 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24 c. Strongly condemns the Turkish military interventions in Syria, which constitute grave violations of international law and risk undermining the stability and security of the region as a whole; calls on the Government of Turkey to end its illegal occupation of northern Syria and Afrin and to withdraw its military and paramilitary proxy forces; reiterates that security concerns cannot justify unilateral military action in a foreign country; recalls its position, as expressed in previous resolutions, on the introduction of an initiative in the Council for all EU Member States to halt the licencing of arms exports to Turkey in accordance with Council Common Position2008/944/CFSP;
Amendment 505 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 d (new)
Paragraph 24 d (new)
24 d. Notes that the persistent foreign interference in Libya continued to challenge seriously the implementation of the UN-led Berlin process; Turkey claimed that the UN embargo provisions, the articles on withdrawal of foreign elements and the suspension of military training in the cease-fire agreement are not applicable to the legitimate government; on a regular basis, the Turkish Ministry of Defence issued statements on ongoing training with Libyan forces and the legitimate presence of Turkish military forces; the presence of mercenary forces was a complicating factor; Turkey maintained its unjustified opinion that Operation IRINI is not balanced and that it disproportionally targets the Government of National Accord. Turkey continued to assert the validity of the Turkish-Libyan maritime delimitation and military agreements of 2019 which the EU considers an infringement upon the sovereign rights of third States, not complying with the Law of the Sea and having no legal consequences for third States; the EU listed a Turkish shipping company in the framework of violations of the Libya weapons embargo;
Amendment 510 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 e (new)
Paragraph 24 e (new)
24 e. Recalls the need for Turkey to address obligations as regards the implementation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union, ensuring its effective application to all Member States. regrets Turkey’s continued deviations from its obligations under the EU-Turkey Customs Union, and recalls that trade barriers or equivalent that are not in conformity with it should be removed without delay; recalls, in this sense, that the current customs union will not achieve its full potential until Turkey fully implements the Additional Protocol to extend the Ankara Agreement towards all Member States without reserve and in anon-discriminatory fashion in relation to all Member States, and until all existing trade irritants are resolved; stresses that a modernisation of the Customs Union would be beneficial for both parties and would keep Turkey economically and normatively anchored to the EU; reiterates that this modernisation would need to be based on strong conditionality related to human rights and fundamental freedoms as prescribed by the Copenhagen criteria on good neighbourly relations with the EU and all its Member States and on its non-discriminatory implementation;
Amendment 512 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 f (new)
Paragraph 24 f (new)
24 f. Continues its support for the visa liberalization process once the set conditions have been met; points out that visa liberalization would constitute an important step towards facilitating people- to-people contacts and notes that it is of great importance, particularly for students, academics, business representatives and people with family ties in EU Member States, but stresses that there has been very little real progress on the six outstanding benchmarks still to be fulfilled by Turkey; asks the Government of Turkey to fully comply with these benchmarks in a non-discriminatory manner, including with regard to all EU Member States;
Amendment 519 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Insists that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights should remain at the heart of EU-Turkey relations under any framework; reaffirms its support for keeping the accession process and its value-based approach as the main framework for EU-Turkey relations, as it is still the most powerful tool to exercise normative pressure and sustain the democratic and pro-European aspirations of Turkish society; nevertheless remains open to the possibility of both sides reviewing, in a realistic manner, the appropriateness of this framework and its ability to function, or, if necessary, exploring other possible models for future relations;
Amendment 545 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Notes that the current state of ‘conflictual cooperation’ in EU-Turkey relations is prone to producing unsatisfactory results; calls for a rebalancing of the relationship by building on the solid grounds for cooperation driven by mutual interests, and also by building confidence to address the lack of trust; believes that an orderly dispute settlement mechanism may be beneficial in such an overall framework and calls on the Commission to explore the creation of such a mechanism in accordance with obligations under the Negotiating Framework;
Amendment 547 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
Amendment 557 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Believes that the EU should continue to pursue all possible instances of dialogue, common understanding and convergence of positions with Turkey; invites Turkey to engage in constructive and bona fide dialogue –including on issues of foreign policy where Turkey and the EU have been on opposing terms- with a view to once again finding common ground and a common understanding with the EU, restarting dialogue and cooperation on good neighbourly relations, and relaunching the process of reforms in Turkey; reiterates that, failing that, and in the event of renewed unilateral actions or provocations in breach of international law, the EU should use all the instruments and the options at its disposal, including targeted sanctions as a last resort, which should not have an adverse impact on the Turkish people, civil society or refugees in Turkey;
Amendment 559 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27 b. Considers that, as a necessary step in order to improve the overall state of relations, both sides need to use respectful language, make efforts to fight existing prejudices and misconceptions, and allow for a more objective and complete consideration of the other side’s image in the respective public opinion, reversing the mutually deteriorating perceptions; calls on this view on the Commission to launch a communication policy towards Turkish society aimed at raising awareness about the EU; stresses that a belligerent, revisionist and aggressive rhetoric only reinforces extreme positions on both sides and that a purely confrontational approach plays into the hands of those who are aiming to pull Turkey and the EU apart;