MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Kyrgyzstan
5.7.2010
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Heidi Hautala, Bart Staes, Nicole Kiil-Nielsen on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0419/2010
B7‑0419/2010
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Kyrgyzstan
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia with regard, in particular, to the one of 6 May 2010,
– having regard to its resolution of 20 February 2008 on an EU Strategy for Central Asia,
– having regard to the statements of the VP/HR Catherine Ashton on the new clashes in Kyrgyzstan of 11 June 2010 and on the constitutional referendum of 28 June 2010,
– having regard to the conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Council of 14 June 2010,
– having regard to the EU Strategy for a New Partnership with Central Asia adopted by the European Council of 21/22 June 2007,
– having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and Kyrgyzstan that entered into force in 1999,
– having regard to the European Community Regional Strategy Paper for Assistance to Central Asia for the period 2007-2013,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 11 June violent clashes erupted in the southern cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad and continued to escalate until 14 June with hundreds of armed men reportedly storming the city streets, shooting civilians and setting fire to shops, choosing their targets according to ethnicity,
B. whereas according to the Kyrgyz authorities around 300 people died in the clashes but fears have been expressed, including by the head of the interim government Rosa Otunbayeva, that the real figure may be higher; whereas more than 2000 were injured or hospitalised and many people are still missing,
C. whereas it has been estimated that due to the violence, 300 000 people have been internally displaced and 100 000 sought refuge in nearby Uzbekistan; whereas the Tashkent government provided humanitarian assistance to the refugees with the help of international organisations but closed its border with Kyrgyzstan on 14 June, referring to a lack of capacity to receive more people,
D. whereas the interim government declared the state of emergency in the area and security forces, which as it appears sometimes did not abide orders, were unable to take over control; whereas appeals issued by interim president Roza Otunbayeva to Russian President Medvedev and to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation for military support in restoring order received negative replies; whereas a request to send an international police force was forwarded and is currently being considered by the OSCE,
E. whereas according to the results of the investigation of the National Security Service into the 11-14 June events the clashes were instigated by clan members of ousted president Bakiyev in collusion with Islamic radicals, northern Tajik militants and Talibans,
F. whereas the European Commission has allocated 5 million euros to provide emergency medical support, humanitarian aid, non food items, protection and psychological assistance for persons affected by the crisis; whereas this can be compared with the UN's flash appeal for USD 71 million in emergency aid,
G. whereas the EU should assume a more important role in supporting the country; whereas the EU has committed itself, in particular through its Central Asia Strategy, to be a partner of the countries in the region; whereas much more international engagement is now urgently needed and the EU's response will have an impact on its credibility as a partner,
H. whereas a referendum conducted under peaceful circumstances on 27 June and with a high participation rate resulted in approval by more than 90% of the voters of a new constitution that balances presidential and parliamentary powers, confirmation of Rosa Otunbayeva as interim president until 31 December 2011 and dismissal of the constitutional court; whereas parliamentary elections are planned to be held on 10 October 2010,
I. whereas Central Asia is to a great extent characterised by poverty and a multitude of serious threats against human security, as well as by bad governance, strong authoritarianism and lack of legal channels for expressing discontent and pursuing political change; whereas there is the need to restore and step up regional cooperation in order to develop a common approach towards the problems and challenges of the region; whereas more common approach by regional and international actors to the problems and challenges of the region must be pursued,
J. whereas the EU must always uphold its commitment to mainstream human rights, democracy and the rule of law in its agreements with third states and to promote democratic reforms through coherent policies enhancing its credibility as a regional player,
1. Expresses it deepest concern over the tragic, violent clashes that broke out in southern Kyrgyzstan and offers its condolences to the families of all the victims;
2. Strongly condemns all attacks and acts of violence and calls on the interim government to conduct a plausible, impartial and independent investigation into the events with the assistance of international actors in order to bring the perpetrators to justice and clarify the allegations of involvement of members of Kyrgyz security forces;
3. Calls on the interim authorities to make every effort so as to bring back the situation to normal life and to put in place all the necessary conditions so that refugees and internally displaced people can return voluntarily in safety and dignity to their homes; urges the local authorities to adopt effective confidence-building measures and to start a genuine dialogue with all the ethnic components of southern Kyrgyzstan with the aim of developing a credible reconciliation process;
4. Stresses that the values to which the European Union is committed oblige the Union to respond to this suffering in a comprehensive way, including by allocating more than the € 5 million so far mobilised, which should be commensurate with the UN's flash appeal for USD 71 million in humanitarian aid;
5. Calls, in this regard, on the Commission to step up humanitarian assistance in cooperation with international organisations and to start short and medium term reconstruction programmes of destroyed homes and replacement of lost assets and rehabilitation projects in collaboration with the Kyrgyz authorities and other donors in order to create favourable conditions for the return of refugees and IDPs; draws the attention, in this regard, to the importance of local development projects;
6. Urges the Council to take the lead in arranging an international donors’ conference for Kyrgyzstan where to address the humanitarian problems and the basic needs of Kyrgyzstan and provide the necessary aid for the sustainable development of the country;
7. Underlines that the humanitarian response, intended to address immediate needs, must be accompanied by efforts to stabilise the situation and reduce and prevent the considerable risk of renewed violence, which is a threat also to peace and security in other parts of the Ferghana Valley, shared by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan;
8. Reiterates its call for a focus on human security in the EU's Central Asia policy; notes that in southern Kyrgyzstan this implies, inter alia, helping to guarantee the physical security of ethnic Uzbeks, as well as of people belonging to all other ethnic groups;
9. Calls on the HR/VP and the Member States to support and contribute actively to the quick deployment of a OSCE police mission with the aim of preventing the outbreak of new violence, stabilising the situation in the cities affected by the clashes, protecting the victims and the most vulnerable people and facilitating the return of refuges and IDPs;
10. Takes note of the peaceful conduct and the outcome of the constitutional referendum of 27 May that paves the way for the return to constitutional order; calls on the Council and the Commission to find ways so as to assist the interim government of Kyrgyzstan and help the authorities move forward on the path of democratic reforms and the strengthening of the rule of law, counteract discrimination in public life, provide access to credible legal procedures and improve peoples' lives through national development and empowerment of citizens in cooperation with all the stakeholders and the Kirgyz civil society;
11. Calls for extensive use of the Instrument for Stability and asks the Commission to prepare proposals on re-allocations of funds of the Development Cooperation Instrument to help make sure that the short as well as medium term EU response to the new situation in Kyrgyzstan will be of an adequate scale;
12. Expresses concern about reports of arrests of some human rights defenders in Kyrgyzstan and calls on the Kyrgyz authorities to take all measures necessary to ensure that human rights defenders may carry out their work for the promotion and protection of human rights without any hindrances;
13. Stresses that developments in Kyrgyzstan both influence and are influenced by regional and international developments; is convinced that there are big overlaps between Russian, US and other interests, in particular in relation to Afghanistan and the growth of Islamic radicalism in the region, including in Kyrgyzstan; considers that this should make it possible to limit geopolitical competition and look for synergies with a view to stabilising the region; believes that success in this would have wider positive effects on international relations and international security;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission and the OSCE.