MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

23.10.2006

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Jan Marinus Wiersma and Hannes Swoboda
on behalf of the PSE Group
on Georgia

B6‑0550/2006

European Parliament resolution on Georgia

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia, in particular that of 14 October 2004,

–  having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Georgia and the European Union, which entered into force in 1999,

–  having regard to the statements issued at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Summit in Istanbul in 1999 and the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Oporto in 2002,

–  having regard to the Presidency statement of 24 July 2006 on recent developments in Georgia - Abkhazia and South Ossetia and to the conclusions of the meeting of the General Affairs Council of 16/17 October 2006,

–  having regard to the UN Security Council Resolution of 13 October 2006 extending the mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) until 15 April 2007,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the tension in and around the Georgian region of South Ossetia increased substantially during the months of July and September 2006,

B.  whereas, also, the tension between the Republic of Georgia and the Russian Federation has further increased during the run-up to the Georgian local elections and following the arrest of four Russian officers,

C.  whereas the meeting of the four-party Joint Control Commission on the resolution of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict failed to reach any agreements during its two-day session in Vladikavkaz on 12-13 October 2006,

D.  whereas early in 2006 the Russian Federation imposed a ban on the import of agricultural products (wine, fruit and vegetables) from Moldova and Georgia, which is considerably harming the economic development of both countries; whereas Russia has recently also blocked all traffic (including in the postal and banking sectors) with Georgia and has maintained this blockade after the four officers were released and returned to Russia,

E.  whereas the unilateral movements for independence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia are not being supported by any international organisation and continuing efforts are being made, under the auspices of the OSCE and the United Nations, to restore the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia,

1.  Strongly condemns the attempts by movements in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to establish independence unilaterally;

2.  Calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to withhold support from all of these movements and to give its fullest support to the multilateral efforts to find a solution to the conflicts in its neighbourhood;

3.  Urges the parties involved in the conflicts in those regions to resolve them through the international negotiations taking place under the auspices of the OSCE and the United Nations;

4.  Expresses its deepest concern over the sharp deterioration in relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia and strongly appeals to both the Georgian and Russian authorities to refrain from any acts or declarations which might further aggravate the situation;

5.  Reiterates, in this context, the appeal made by the UN Security Council to the Georgian Government to avoid steps which could be seen as threatening and to refrain from militant rhetoric and provocative actions, especially in the upper Kodori Valley;

6.  Calls on the Russian authorities to rescind all the measures recently taken against Georgia and against the Georgian population on its territory; calls, further, on the Russian authorities to lift the ban on the import of agricultural products from Moldova and Georgia;

7.  Calls on the Council, the Member States and the Commission to continue to give their fullest support to a political and peaceful solution to the regional conflicts in the neighbourhood the EU shares with the Russian Federation and urges them to discuss these matters in their next meetings with the President and the Government of the Russian Federation;

8.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission and the governments and parliaments of Georgia and the Russian Federation.