MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Kyrgyzstan
5.7.2010
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Niccolò Rinaldi, Metin Kazak, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Marielle De Sarnez, Marietje Schaake on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0419/2010
B7‑0422/2010
European Parliament resolution on Kyrgyzstan
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Kyrgyzstan and 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 its resolution of 20 February 2008 on an EU Strategy for Central Asia,
– 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 owned mainly by ethnic Uzbeks,
B. whereas according to the Kyrgyz authorities around 300 people died in the clashes and more than 2000 were injured or hospitalised,
C. whereas 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 for lack of room and means to accommodate them; whereas as of today according to UNHCR 375 000 people remain displaced, including the refugees who returned from Uzbekistan,
D. whereas the interim government declared the state of emergency in the area and in spite of the deployment of troops and task forces was unable to take over control,
E. whereas interim president Roza Otunbayeva issued appeals to Russian President Medvedev and to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation for military support in restoring order; whereas a request to send an international police force was forwarded also to the OSCE,
F. 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,
G. whereas the European Commission 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 the EU should assume a more important role in supporting the country; whereas the EU is committed, in particular through the Central Asia Strategy, to be a partner of the countries in the region,
H. whereas on 27 June in a peacefully conducted referendum with a high turnout more than 90% of voters approved the new constitution of Kyrgyzstan that balances the powers of the president with the ones of the parliament; whereas a preliminary decision was made to hold the general elections on 10 October 2010 that should conclude the process of return to a democratic constitutional order,
I. whereas in Central Asia 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 Central Asia should become an area of cooperation and not of confrontation between the main powers,
J. whereas the EU must always uphold its commitment to mainstream human rights, democracy and the rule of law in all agreements with third states and to promote democratic reforms through coherent policies enhancing its credibility as 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 of which the ethnic Uzbek population was the main victim and calls on the interim government to conduct a impartial and independent investigation into the events in order to bring the perpetrators to justice and clarify the allegations of involvement of members of Kyrgyz security forces;
3. Recognises the efforts undertaken by the interim authorities to bring back the situation to normal life and to try 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 us 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; calls on the Council, in this regard, 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;
6. 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;
7. 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;
8. 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, 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 Kyrgyz civil society;
9. 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;
10. 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;
11. 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;
12. 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.