Motion for a resolution - B8-0285/2018Motion for a resolution
B8-0285/2018

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Georgian occupied territories ten years after the Russian invasion

11.6.2018 - (2018/2741(RSP))

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Victor Boştinaru, Clare Moody on behalf of the S&D Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-0275/2018

Procedure : 2018/2741(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B8-0285/2018
Texts tabled :
B8-0285/2018
Debates :
Texts adopted :

B8‑0285/2018

European Parliament resolution on Georgian occupied territories ten years after the Russian invasion

(2018/2741(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Georgia and the situation in the Eastern Neighbourhood,

–  having regard to the ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, mediated by the EU and signed by Georgia and the Russian Federation, and the implementation agreement of 8 September 2008,

–  having regard to the deployment of the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia on 15 September 2008,

–  having regard to its resolution of 21 January 2016 on Association Agreements / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine[1],

–  having regard to its resolution of 13 December 2017 on the Annual report on the implementation of the Common Foreign and Security Policy[2],

–  having regard to the joint declarations of the Eastern Partnership Summits, notably that agreed in 2017 in Brussels,

–  having regard to the joint communications from the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) on the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), notably the report of 18 May 2017 on the implementation of the ENP review (JOIN(2017)0018), the joint staff working document of 9 June 2017 entitled ‘Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020: Focusing on key priorities and tangible results’ (SWD(2017)0300), and the 2016 communication entitled ‘A Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign And Security Policy’,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in the Eastern Neighbourhood and, in particular, its recommendation of 15 November 2017 to the Council, the Commission and the EEAS on the Eastern Partnership, in the run-up to the November 2017 Summit[3],

–  having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the EU strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders;

B.  whereas the EU remains firmly committed to a peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict in full compliance with the fundamental norms and principles of international law;

C.  whereas 10 years after Russia’s military aggression against and invasion of Georgia during the August 2008 war, the Russian Federation still continues its illegal occupation and is taking steps towards a de facto annexation of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, undermining international law and the rules-based international system;

D.  whereas 10 years after the Russo-Georgia war, the Russian Federation continues to be in breach of its international obligations and refuses to implement the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008;

E.  whereas the Russian Federation is further reinforcing its illegal military presence in Georgia’s occupied territories and intensifying its military build-up and military exercises, thus seriously destabilising the security situation on the ground;

F.  whereas the Russian Federation continues to isolate the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia from the rest of the country by closing the so-called crossing points and installing barbed wire fences and other artificial barriers along the occupation line or ‘administrative boundary line’ (ABL);

G.  whereas this line is slowly but steadily being moved deeper into Tbilisi-controlled territory in a process known as a ‘borderisation’, in some places coming very close to critical infrastructure such as motorways and gas pipelines;

H.  whereas hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees forcibly expelled from the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia as a result of several waves of ethnic cleansing continue to be deprived of their fundamental right to a safe and dignified return to their homes;

I.  whereas gross violations of human rights, including the rights to freedom of movement and residence, to property and of access to native-language education, and illegal detentions and kidnappings continue to take place in the occupied regions of Georgia;

J.  whereas the Georgian population residing in the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia continues to be subjected to intense discrimination on ethnic grounds;

K.  whereas the Georgian IDPs Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria and Davit Basharuli were illegally killed as a result of brutal actions by the occupying Russian regimes in Sokhumi and Tskhinvali;

L.  whereas the Russian Federation, as a power exercising effective control over the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, bears full responsibility for severe human rights violations and the extremely worrying humanitarian situation on the ground;

M.  whereas the Russian Federation continues to deny access to international human rights monitors and the EUMM to the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia in violation of the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, thus hampering the mission’s ability to fully carry out its mandate ;

N.  whereas the ‘Resolution on Gross Violation of Human Rights by the Russian Federation in Occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region’ and the ‘Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili Act’ were adopted by the Parliament of Georgia on 21 March 2018 with bipartisan support, giving a mandate for the adoption of an ‘Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili list’ envisaging sanctions against persons accused and convicted of murder, abduction, torture and inhumane treatment of Georgian citizens, as well as of providing sanctuary to the perpetrators of such acts in the occupied regions;

1.  Reiterates that sovereignty, independence and the peaceful settlement of disputes are key principles of the European security order; stresses that the resolution of conflicts in Georgia is essential to enhancing the security and stability of the European continent as a whole; considers that these conflicts and the continuing occupation of Georgian territories remain a potential threat to the sovereignty of other European countries;

2.  Continues to strongly support the principle of sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders; acknowledges that the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the 1990 OSCE Charter of Paris represent the cornerstones of peace on the European continent;

3.  Supports the policy of the Government of Georgia working towards peaceful conflict resolution, including through compliance with the 12 August 2008 ceasefire agreement, the unilateral non-use of force pledge, engagement in the Geneva International Discussions, and engagement in efforts towards reconciliation and confidence building between divided communities;

4.  Calls for the current deadlock to be overcome and for progress to be made towards achieving tangible results on the core issues of the Geneva International Discussions, including the affirmation and implementation of the non-use of force commitment, the establishment of international security mechanisms in the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, and the return of IDPs and refugees, with the aim of achieving lasting peace and security on the ground;

5.  Welcomes the new peace initiative of the Government of Georgia entitled ‘A Step to a Better Future’ aimed at improving the humanitarian and socio-economic conditions of people residing in the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, as well as at fostering people-to-people contacts and confidence building between the divided communities, while condemning divisive initiatives that run contrary to these goals such as the so-called referendum of 2017 approving a name change for Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia;

6.  Calls on the Russian Federation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders and to reverse its decision on the recognition of the so-called independence of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, as well as the de facto integration of both regions into Russia’s single customs territory;

7.  Strongly urges the Russian Federation to abide by its international obligations, to fully implement the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008 by withdrawing its military forces from the territory of Georgia, and to allow the EUMM access to the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia in accordance with its mandate;

8.  Calls on the Russian Federation to cease the installation of barbed wire fences and other artificial barriers along the occupation line, intentionally hindering people-to-people contact and isolating the populations of both occupied regions;

9.  Calls on the Russian Federation, as the power exercising effective control, to end impunity and ethnically motivated crimes in the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia and to remove any obstacles to ensuring that the perpetrators of the illegal killing of Georgian IDPs Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria and David Basharuli are brought to justice;

10.  Urges the Russian Federation, as the power exercising effective control, to cease its violation of human rights, its restriction of freedom of movement and residence, its discrimination on ethnic grounds, and its infringement of the right to property and to native-language education in the occupied territories of Georgia;

11.  Urges the Russian Federation to allow the safe and dignified return of IDPs and refugees to their homes and to ensure unimpeded access on the ground for international human rights monitoring mechanisms;

12.  Confirms the EU’s firm commitment to further enhancing its role in the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict, by using all the instruments at its disposal as part of a comprehensive approach, including its Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, its co-chairmanship of the Geneva International Discussions, the EUMM in Georgia and the policy of non-recognition and engagement, and calls for consideration to be given to further enhancing the EU’s role by assisting the Georgian authorities in implementing criminal sanctions against perpetrators of human rights violations on the occupied territories;

13.  Stresses that a consistent and firm stance on the part of the international community against Russia’s occupation and annexation policy is the only means to ensure peaceful conflict resolution in Georgia and to prevent similar conflicts in the neighbourhood; emphasises the necessity of stepping up the collective pressure on Russia to implement the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, in particular as regards the withdrawal of Russian occupation forces and the return of IDPs and refugees;

14.  Calls on the EU Institutions to adopt an approach consistent with that of the European Parliament and the policies of the national parliaments of the Member States by using clearer and more precise terms in defining Russian aggression in Georgia as occupation by the Russian Federation of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia;

15.  Strongly supports the EU’s assistance to Georgia for capacity building and fostering resilience, including in the areas of counterterrorism, strategic communications, cyber-defence and security sector reform; calls for the upcoming negotiations on the post-2020 EU financial instruments devoted to the European Neighbourhood Policy to take due account of the needs in this respect;

16.  Reiterates its condemnation of the subversive policies of propaganda, disinformation and social media infiltration aimed at weakening democracy and society in Georgia by discrediting institutions, manipulating public opinion, spreading false narratives, feeding social tensions and fostering a general mistrust of the media; denounces, in this context, the information warfare being conducted by Russia, using its state‑controlled media outlets to deliberately plant false news in order to influence domestic politics and undermine the European integration processes;

17.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of Georgia, and the Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation.

 

Last updated: 12 June 2018
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