Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-11-21-Speech-3-474-000"
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"en.20121121.29.3-474-000"2
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"Mr President, I am pleased to have the opportunity today to brief you on behalf of High Representative/Vice-President Ashton on the latest developments and the European Union’s activities in Kazakhstan. I would like to warmly thank Mrs Jaakonsaari for her excellent report.
It is likely that the negotiations on the new PCA will be concluded following Kazakhstan’s WTO accession, so the negotiations of the PCA are based on this assumption. In this regard, the European Union expects that the customs union between Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus will not constitute a barrier for enhanced cooperation with the European Union – as also stated in the European Parliament report.
The negotiation of a new PCA is not a simple or short process. Through this process, the European Union is committed to standing alongside Kazakhstan and its citizens, both as a friend and as a partner, on the path of political reform and economic development. In this endeavour, we will continue to provide full information to Parliament, as we have been doing so far. We count on the support of Parliament and we look forward to the resolution that you will adopt tomorrow.
Kazakhstan has been an important partner for the EU in Central Asia, not only on trade and economic exchanges, but as a stable country which has a proven track record of inter-ethnic and inter-religious harmony and tolerance. The EU has a strategic interest in further deepening our involvement with Kazakhstan and in developing fully the potential for political cooperation; especially considering the rapidly evolving dynamics of regional integration.
Kazakhstan is a pragmatic partner, open to discussions and willing to explore opportunities. The European Union, in return, is a very important trade and investment partner for Kazakhstan: more than half of the total foreign and direct investment in the country comes from EU investors. Over the past years, we have increased cooperation, have had frequent high-level meetings and launched negotiations for a new enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.
The negotiation of the new agreement proves the importance of Kazakhstan for the EU, and is the recognition of our strong economic and strategic relations. However, as underlined by the Vice President/High Representative on many occasions before, the enhancement of EU-Kazakhstan relations is not independent of the advancement of domestic political reforms and the protection and promotion of human rights in Kazakhstan. This is a priority for the European Parliament but also for the European Union.
The European Union has been observing the political and human rights related developments in Kazakhstan since the tragic events of Zhanaozen in December 2011 with serious concern. This included the monitoring of the trials of the people accused of inciting or participating in the violent events of Zhanaozen, by the EU Delegation in Astana, in line with the Parliament’s appeals to do so in its resolution of 15 March 2012. We have seen several procedural shortcomings in the trial processes and fear that the verdicts given have been mainly based on political activism and the general involvement of the defendants in trade union or opposition movements.
The High Representative/Vice-President Ashton has encouraged, and will continue to encourage, the Kazakh authorities to review the trial processes, in line with the international commitments and obligations of Kazakhstan. The EU has also called for the right to a free, fair and transparent appeal process for Mr Kozlov and all other defendants.
We fully support Parliament when it calls on Kazakhstan as a member of the Venice Commission, and also as a newly elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, to demonstrate its strong commitment to Human Rights, including the freedoms of speech, of assembly, of association and of religion and belief. The European Union will continue to make this point in all bilateral contacts and cooperation fora, as we did just last week again during the EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee meeting and will do during upcoming negotiation rounds on the new PCA.
The respect for democracy, the principles of international law, fundamental freedoms and human rights is an essential component of the new EU-Kazakhstan agreement. This means that, once the new agreement enters into force, the violation of this essential element could lead to the suspension of parts or all of the agreement. This is in line with the report where the Honourable Members of the Parliament stress that, although used rarely, the suspension of the application of any PCA is possible in the case of serious breaches of human rights. In this regard, the PCA will strengthen the dialogue with Kazakhstan on human rights through our regular dialogues. Human rights will undoubtedly be raised by High Representative/Vice-President Ashton during her upcoming visit to Astana next week.
As also called for by the report, the Commission services and the EEAS are doing their utmost to ensure that the new agreement is a comprehensive one, with emphasis on political, legal, economic and social reforms. In line with this, our aim is to broaden the scope of our cooperation with Kazakhstan in a number of areas and also help the Kazakh authorities’ reform and modernisation efforts. This includes encouraging Kazakhstan’s efforts for legislative conformity with the EU acquis and WTO rules. Kazakhstan has the EU’s full support for WTO accession, and in particular an early conclusion of the ongoing negotiations."@en1
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