Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-01-18-Speech-3-288"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060118.22.3-288"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, Commissioner, honourable Members, the conflict in Chechnya is still a source of instability in the northern Caucasus. The political, economic, social and human rights situation in this Caucasus republic continues to be extremely unsatisfactory and a real cause for concern. All of the European Union's institutions are well aware of how important this matter is in our relations with the Russian Federation.
Russia's Presidency of the G8, since 1 January 2006, was expected not only to give the country an incentive to improve its image on the international stage, but also to help it make more active and sustained efforts than previously to resolve the conflict in Chechnya and thus to improve the situation in the southern Caucasus, where the three conflicts in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh, although frozen, urgently need to be resolved. The EU has announced that it will closely monitor Russia's actions during the G8 Presidency. The issue of civil society will also be raised repeatedly at the twice-yearly human rights consultations with Russia.
Mr President, we must remain determined to continue the dialogue with the Russian Federation with regard to Chechnya and other human rights matters, regardless of all the difficulties and resistance, and to press for an improvement in the situation.
As you know, Chechnya held parliamentary elections on 28 November last year, its first legislative elections in eight years. Unfortunately, the European Union and the OSCE were unable to send observers to these elections for security reasons. However, the simple fact that, for the first time in eight years, it was possible to hold parliamentary elections in Chechnya was viewed by the then Presidency as a positive step, even though, it must be emphasised, there were some serious problems. The European Union helped to train local observers for these elections, and the Commission provided aid amounting to EUR 60 000 to support objective and professional local election observers from various civil society organisations.
Immediately after the elections, the then EU Presidency issued a statement noting that the elections had not been problem-free and that some observers had raised concerns. It strongly urged the Russian authorities to investigate reports of irregularities or intimidation. The statement concluded that the further strengthening of democratic institutions, as part of an inclusive political process, is essential for the sustainable and peaceful long-term development of Chechnya as well as for peace and stability in the northern Caucasus as a whole.
The European Union has frequently raised serious concerns regarding the political process in Chechnya and continues to strongly urge the Russian authorities to give this political process greater transparency and legitimacy. Issues of human rights and democracy are regularly and repeatedly raised in the context of relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation. The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, in laying the basis for relations between the EU and Russia, refers to respect for shared values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Chechnya is an important topic in the twice-yearly human rights consultations with Russia, which were officially launched in March 2005 under the Luxembourg Presidency. The EU makes a particular point of using these consultations to express its concerns regarding the disappearance of people and the general failure to punish violations of human rights. The most recent round of these extremely important consultations was held in Brussels on 8 September 2005 and they will be continued this year under the Austrian Presidency. We need the European Union and its Member States to make a sustained commitment here, as these consultations provide a forum where such issues can be discussed very openly and constructively.
Following the outbreak of the second Chechnya conflict in September 1999, the European Union has taken and maintained a clear position on the issue of respect for human rights. The EU continues to advocate a political solution to the conflict, and has called on the Russian Federation to work closely with international human rights mechanisms, in particular with the United Nations and its special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and also with the Council of Europe, particularly the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and of course with the OSCE. A resumption of the permanent presence of the OSCE, in the form of a field mission in Chechnya, would in any case be welcomed. The OSCE has already played an extremely important role in the efforts to find a solution to the first conflict in Chechnya, and a comparable role would also be of great significance this time.
At the EU-Russia Summit in November 2004, Russia agreed to the European Commission's EUR 20 million aid programme to support socio-economic recovery in the northern Caucasus, in addition to continuing humanitarian aid. This programme is intended to contribute to promoting an open and democratic political process in Chechnya.
With regard to civil society, the situations of non-governmental organisations and human rights activists, judicial reform and freedom of the media in Russia are areas that give particular cause for concern and that are regularly raised in discussions between the EU and Russian representatives. The EU is firmly convinced that it is in Russia's interest to have a strong and independent civil society.
At the end of December 2005, the Duma and the Federation Council adopted the draft law on non-governmental organisations. The EU has repeatedly expressed its concern at this draft, notably in its letter of 22 November 2005 to the Speaker of the Duma, Mr Gryzlov, and at a troika démarche on 2 December 2005. I also expect that we will make our feelings known once again on this matter now that the law has been signed. According to the draft as it stands, foreign NGOs must provide the Russian authorities with reports on their programmes, funding and organisation. Russian NGOs may be prohibited from working in restricted areas, which of course severely limits their activities in sensitive areas and regions, or even makes them impossible."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples