MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

28.5.2008

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Marie Anne Isler Béguin and Cem Özdemir
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on Georgia

B6‑0278/2008

European Parliament resolution on Georgia

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia, with regard, in particular, to those of October 2006 and of 29 November 2007,

–  having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2007 on the European Neighbourhood Policy,

–  having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and Georgia, of the other part, which entered into force on 1 July 1999,

–  having regard to the ENP Action Plan endorsed by the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council on 14 November 2006,

–  having regard to the UN Security Council resolution of 15 April 2008 supporting the territorial integrity of Georgia and extending the mandate of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) to 15 October 2008,

–  having regard to the recommendations adopted by the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee on 29 and 30 April 2008,

–  having regard to the declarations by the Presidency on behalf of the EU of 18 April and 2 May 2008 on the escalation of tension between Georgia and Russia,

–  having regard to the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission to the Georgian parliamentary elections of 22 May 2008,

–  having regard to the conclusions of 26 May 2008 of the investigation of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia into the shooting-down of an unmanned Georgian aircraft,

–  having regard to the conclusions on Georgia of 26 May 2008 of the General Affairs and External Relations Council,

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

A.  whereas in April 2008 the then Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed Russian ministries and other state agencies to establish official ties with counterpart agencies in the breakaway Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, envisaging also the development of additional proposals on the concrete direction of further interaction in favour of the socio-economic development of these republics and protection of the rights of the population living there, including Russian citizens,

B.  whereas at the beginning of May 2008 the Russian Ministry of Defence announced a unilateral increase in the number of its peace-keepers in Abkhazia; whereas Russian representatives announced that the number of troops in the Russian battalion stationed in South Ossetia may be increased,

C.  whereas on 20 April 2008 an unarmed and unmanned Georgian aircraft was downed by a Russian fighter jet in Abkhazian skies; whereas, according to the de facto Abkhaz authorities, two more Georgian drones were downed in the following weeks,

D.  whereas no official high-level meetings have taken place between Georgian and Abkhaz representatives under UN auspices since October 2007; whereas new proposals have been put forward by the Georgian authorities for the resolution of the conflict, including broad political representation at the highest level of the Georgian government, granting veto rights on all major legislation related to Abkhazia, and international guarantees to ensure broad federalism and unlimited autonomy and security,

E.  whereas Georgia has taken official steps calling for the revision of the current peacekeeping format or the replacement of the Russian peacekeeping contingent now deployed in Abkhazia,

F.  whereas on 15 May 2008 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for progress in the return of internal displaced people to Abkhazia and urging all countries to refrain from purchasing assets located in Abkhaz territory,

G.  whereas the Tbilisi authorities have suspended bilateral talks with Moscow on Russia's accession to the WTO in protest at the Russian decision to step up cooperation with the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; whereas the Russian ban on imports of Georgian wine and agriculture goods is still in place,

H.  whereas, despite the efforts made to conduct Georgia's elections in line with international standards, the International Election Observation Mission to the Georgian parliamentary elections of 21 May 2008 identified some problems making implementation uneven and incomplete,

I.  whereas every effort should be made by the EU to help Georgia continue its pace of reform and develop a fully functioning democracy; whereas the ENP Action Plan provides Georgia with the opportunity to get closer to the EU and embrace and share its founding values,

1.  Expresses its deep concern at the escalation of the situation in Abkhazia, and calls on all parties to refrain from actions that could further destabilise the situation; calls for renewed international efforts to bring the parties back to dialogue and restart the peace process with a view to reaching a lasting and comprehensive settlement;

2.  Deplores the decision of the Moscow authorities to establish official links with the de facto authorities of the Georgian breakaway republics and the unilateral decision to increase the numbers of Russian peacekeeping troops in Abkhazia, thus aggravating the already tense situation;

3.  Reaffirms its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, and calls on the Russian authorities to fully respect the sovereignty of that country within its internationally recognised borders;

4.  Takes the view that the present peacekeeping format must be revised, since the Russian troops have lost their role of neutral and impartial peacekeepers, and calls for a deeper European involvement in the frozen conflicts in order to move the peace processes forward;

5.  Calls, in this regard, on the Council and Commission to firmly raise this issue with their Russian counterparts at the forthcoming EU-Russia summit and during the negotiations on a new strengthened partnership agreement, and urges the Russian authorities not to oppose an eventual ESDP mission in the region, including an EU presence in civilian and military peacekeeping operations;

6.  Urges the Council, the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and his special envoy to the southern Caucasus to make every effort to contribute to facilitating the dialogue between the parties, defusing tension and restoring mutual confidence;

7.  Welcomes the fact, as regards the 21 May elections, that the election day was, all in all, calm and generally assessed positively, and that substantial progress has been made since the January presidential elections;

8.  Stresses, however, that further efforts have to be made in close cooperation with the international community to address and solve all the problems identified in the electoral process caused by the inconsistent and incomplete implementation of the OSCE and Council of Europe standards, and to improve and consolidate Georgia's democratic achievements;

9.  Takes note of the final results, and calls on the majority and opposition forces to engage in a substantial, constructive and responsible dialogue in order to deal thoroughly with the many challenges Georgia is facing today;

10.  Reiterates its call on Russia to lift its unjustified import ban on Georgian agricultural products which was enforced almost two years ago;

11.  Urges the Commission and the Member States to start negotiations on the EU-Georgia readmission and visa facilitation agreements as soon as possible, in order to ensure that citizens of Georgia are not disadvantaged compared to those holding Russian passports in the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia;

12.  Welcomes the setting-up of the EU-Georgia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security, with a view to stepping up the bilateral dialogue and implementing the ENP Action Plan;

13.  Supports Georgia's aspirations towards closer integration with the European Union; in this regard, urges the Council to finalise a mandate for the Commission in order to start negotiations with Georgia on a broad and comprehensive free trade agreement;

14.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Member States, the President and Parliament of Georgia, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the President and Parliament of the Russian Federation.