A4-0279/96

Resolution on the communication from the Commission 'Towards a European Union strategy for relations with the Transcaucasian Republics' (COM(95)0205 - C4- 0242/96)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the communication from the Commission (COM(95)0205 - C4- 0242/96),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Security and Defence Policy and the opinions of the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy and the Committee on External Economic Relations (A4-0279/96),

A. whereas Transcaucasia has since the days of classical antiquity enjoyed close cultural and historical links with a certain number of European countries, which means that the European Union is bound to take a close interest in them, particularly since Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia regained their independence in 1991,

B. whereas Transcaucasia, a strategic area lying between Russia, Turkey and Iran, is vital to the security of Europe as a whole,

C. whereas this region contains a number of potential trouble spots, and also abuts on politically unstable areas,

D. whereas the Transcaucasian States, which are members of the CIS, wish to become part of Europe's political and security structures,

E. whereas the European Union must take account of Transcaucasia when establishing its foreign policy and develop a strategy which will benefit all the parties involved,

1. Urges the European Union to develop an active presence in Transcaucasia, a region of strategic importance;

2. Calls on the Commission and Council to pursue implementation of the CSFP more actively by setting up Community embassies so that the 'legitimate' economic interests of the Member States of the Union do not frustrate the development of a genuine European policy for Transcaucasia;

3. States that the goals of a European Union strategy on Transcaucasia should be to:

(a) consolidate the independence of the three states concerned;

(b) work towards finding a negotiated solution to the political crises which affect the Caucasus as a whole and Transcaucasia in particular, applying the same general criteria and taking account of possible interaction between various potential trouble spots;

(c) promote democracy, the rule of law, human rights and civil society in the three states;

(d) encourage the economic development of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia within the framework of a social market economy and respect for the environment;

4. Calls on the European Union, on the basis of these factors, to adopt a common position on relations between the European Union and the Transcaucasian States, pursuant to Article J.2 of the TEU;

5. Stresses that the partnership and cooperation agreements initialled on 15 December 1995 and signed on 22 April 1996 with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are above all political instruments, one of whose goals is to consolidate the independence of these newly independent states, by allowing them to hold a close political and parliamentary dialogue with the European Union and to diversify their economic relations;

6. Welcomes the possibility provided for in all three partnership agreements of closer economic cooperation between Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and the other CIS member states, which should make it possible to restore the traditional trade links both in the areas of energy and raw materials and in the sale of agricultural products;

7. Will deliver its opinion on these partnership agreements at the appropriate time, in terms of the progress achieved by each state with regard to democratization, respect for human rights and for minorities and in the field of economic reform;

8. Expresses its support for Armenia's application to join the WTO and hopes that Georgia and Azerbaijan will follow suit once the process of transformation on market lines in the two countries is sufficiently advanced;

9. While noting the urgent need for continued humanitarian assistance, considers that more attention should be given by the EU and other donors to promoting investment and growth in the region and to making the transition from humanitarian to long-term development aid;

10. Stresses that the Transcaucasian states are participants in the Partnership for Peace and that they therefore have a useful contribution to make to the dialogue which NATO is seeking to establish with the states which have emerged from the former Soviet Union, beginning with Russia, as part of the establishment of a pan-European security structure, of which the OSCE is a key element;

11. Calls on the European Union and its Member States, using the framework of the CFSP, within international bodies (UN, OSCE and Council of Europe) to find a political solution to the crises affecting Transcaucasia;

12. Points out that the European Union has at its disposal the necessary economic and political instruments to use its influence to encourage the region's Russian and Turkish neighbours to make a positive contribution to resolving the current conflicts in Transcaucasia;

13. Calls on the Commission and Council, in cooperation with specialist bodies, such as the Council of Europe and the OSCE, to work towards a solution of the problem of minorities in the region;

14. Stresses the importance it attaches to re-establishing Georgian sovereignty over the whole of Georgian territory, and to maintaining Georgia's territorial integrity; reaffirms in general its support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in the region;

15. Draws attention to the dramatic plight of refugees in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia; while noting the effectiveness of ECHO's activities in the area, insists that the Union does its utmost to find a solution to the refugee problem;

16. Stresses the outstanding importance of the long-term OSCE mission in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and calls on the Member States to support this mission with all the financial and political resources at their disposal; stresses that the ceasefire which has been in force since May 1994 between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh provides a favourable climate for finding a just and viable solution to the conflict based on the principles of the OCSE; calls on the regional powers most directly affected by the conflict to refrain from interfering in any way; regrets that there was no progress in the negotiations on this conflict at the OCSE summit in Lisbon on 2-3 December 1996;

17. Calls for the immediate lifting of the blockade imposed on Armenia by Turkey and Azerbaijan and the reopening of all traditional lines of communication, to end the isolation of Nakhichevan in particular; points out that the obstacles to the freedom of movement of people and goods are not consistent either with the spirit of cooperation that the European Union is trying to create in the region through its policy of partnership and association agreements or with the provisions of the Paris Charter;

18. Notes that the Transcaucasian states are not all advancing towards democracy at the same speed, as the legislative elections which took place in all three in 1995 made clear;

19. Notes that Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan obtained special guest status at the Council of Europe on 26 January 1996, 28 May 1996, and 28 June 1996 respectively;

20. Stresses, however, that Azerbaijan must still agree to make major efforts to democratize its political life, and that the current situation could have negative implications for its relations with European organizations, and calls therefore on the Commission to make non-humanitarian aid conditional upon progress on the human rights front;

21. Hopes that, in Armenia, the majority and the opposition will commit themseleves in earnest to dialogue so that a political solution can be found to the crisis which followed the presidential elections on 22 September 1996, thus allowing democratization and reforms to continue and the country's internal cohesion to be strengthened;

22. Urges the Commission to improve the targeting of the implementation of the TACIS programme for democracy in each of the three Transcaucasian states, and to allow greater scope for direct relations with the regions within the framework of a decentralized policy, on the basis of the needs identified in these countries;

23. Calls on the Commission to promote regional cooperation in all fields through ad hoc cross-regional projects within the framework of the TACIS programme with a view to supporting coexistence and mutual understanding between the peoples of the Transcaucasian states;

24. Points out, in relation to implementation of the TACIS programme, the need for continuity, particularly in the restructuring of social and health services;

25. Advocates consideration of exceptional financial aid for the three Transcaucasian republics in addition to that provided for under the TACIS programme, in the context of agreements with the IMF, with a view to facilitating reimbursement of the loans granted by the EU in 1991;

26. Considers that loans tied to specific investment projects for trans-European networks, in connection with the EBRD or the EIB, represent an effective means of providing financial aid for sustainable development in the Transcaucasian region;

27. Calls on the Commission to use all the instruments at its disposal to encourage the economic development of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, to step up trade with the European Union, to develop a modern banking system and to promote economic cooperation within the Transcaucasian region, for instance in the form of a large market, on a bilateral basis if need be to speed up the process, and likewise with neighbouring states; stresses that this makes it more imperative than ever that the blockade of Armenia be lifted;

28. Stresses that particular attention needs to be paid to developing transport, energy and telecommunications networks in Transcaucasia;

29. Calls on the Commission to examine what infrastructure projects of importance for the European Union's relations with the Transcaucasian states could be financed by the Union under existing or new instruments;

30. Considers that infrastructure renewal in the energy and transport sectors is a key priority and that increased regional cooperation in transport and communications would help reduce tensions in the region and contribute to further growth;

31. Recalls its concerns about nuclear power-stations of Soviet design which are not suitable for long-term operation; hopes therefore that the European Union will provide aid under the TACIS programme in the area of nuclear safety for the Medzamor power-station in Armenia and that it will develop, in agreement with the Armenian authorities, a global long-term energy strategy allowing the use of alternative energy sources;

32. Believes that the European Union should pay closer attention to the role which the Black Sea could play in developing its relations with the Transcaucasian States, given that it links the region with the industrial heartland of Europe thanks to the Rhine-Danube river link, which, with the end of the conflict in Yugoslavia, can at last be fully exploited;

33. Notes the establishment in June 1992 of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Area with the objectives of creating a zone of peace and prosperity and promoting economic cooperation, and welcomes the decision by the participants to establish a Bank for Black Sea Development and Trade which will be based in Thessaloníki and the agreement which is now in the final stages of ratification;

34. Calls on the European Union to take advantage of the fact that one Member State (Greece) is a participant and two others (Austria and Italy) have observer status in the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Area in order to become more involved in this initiative, in which the Transcaucasian states take part, particularly in view of EU enlargement to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe; stresses that the Union's participation would be all the more justified by the fact that it has signed agreements with all the states bordering the Black Sea;

35. Recalls the importance of the agreements concluded between Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan for the extraction of oil from the Caspian Sea;

36. Considers that the transportation of oil from the Black Sea ports across the straits may represent a considerable ecological risk, and therefore believes that the EU should give full support to the construction of the oil pipeline between Burgas (Bulgaria) and Alexandropolis (Greece), as this would constitute a fruitful example of trans-European cooperation;

37. Calls on the Commission, which currently has a presence in Tbilisi, to set up delegations in Yerevan and Baku; hopes that the Member States, within the framework of the CFSP, will further coordinate the activities of their diplomatic representatives in Transcaucasia;

38. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council, the Secretariat of the OSCE, and to the governments and parliaments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.