European Parliament: EU must continue to support Georgia, Ukraine
The European Parliament has mentioned Georgia and Ukraine in a document assessing the state of EU-Russia relations.
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The European Parliament calls on the European Union to continue supporting the two Eastern Partnership countries, Ukraine and Georgia, and to promote European reforms and fundamental freedoms in the region.
The European Parliament has approved a document, assessing the state of EU-Russia relations, with 494 votes in favour, 103 against and 72 abstentions.
MEPs call for new EU strategy to promote democracy in Russia. Parliament says the EU must push back against aggressive policies while laying the groundwork for cooperation with a future democratic Russia → https://t.co/zcwE1jYIz2 pic.twitter.com/mRqrh91Q3B
— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) September 16, 2021
The document says that ‘the current Russian regime is threatening peace and security in Europe by continuing with systemic human rights violations against its people and aggressive behaviour in its foreign policy', including but not limited to:
- large-scale military exercises and military build-ups
- the illegal and violent occupation and annexation of Crimea; the violation of the territorial integrity and the destabilisation of Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova
- support for frozen conflicts and its failure to respect ceasefire agreements in Georgia and Ukraine
It also says that ‘the EU’s failure to respond adequately to the various Russian aggressions since the one against Georgia in 2008 prompted Russia to continue aggressive military and political campaigns, both in its neighbourhood and beyond, thus weakening and undermining the rules-based international order and stability in Europe and elsewhere’.
The EU must continue to uphold the EaP countries’ independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within their internationally recognised borders and condemn Russia’s direct and indirect involvement in armed conflicts and military build-ups inside the borders of or on its borders with the EaP region…
The EU should make it clear that a return to ‘business as usual’ cannot be envisaged until Russia halts its aggressive policy and hybrid warfare against the EU, its Member States and the EaP countries, and the territorial integrity of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine is restored within their internationally recognised borders;
The EU should therefore ensure that sanctions remain in place until Russia fulfils the respective conditions for their lifting and should also consider extending them for a period of 1 year, instead of 6 months as is currently the case”, the document reads.
It notes as well that ‘the EU needs to exert pressure on the Russian Federation to unconditionally fulfil all the provisions of the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, in particular the commitment to withdrawing all its military forces from the occupied territories of Georgia’.