Oficialūs pranešimai

Without prejudice to the principle of non-interference, we would like to express our concern regarding the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's call on his supporters to block the entrances to all courts nationwide on 20 May, and for a mandatory, popular 'vetting' to be applied on all judges.

We fully acknowledge that the politicisation of judges is a matter of paramount importance in Armenia, and we count on the competent authorities, with the assistance of their international partners, to adopt and implement the structural reforms that are needed to ensure that a transparent and efficient judiciary, free from undue influences, will regain citizens' trust, as it is a prerequisite for the rule of law.

Strasbourg, 28 March 2018 - "Yesterday and today, I had the honour to co-chair with Ms Tamar Khulordava, MP, the eighth meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee.

It was my last meeting in my capacity as Chair of the EP Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus.

Brussels, 22 January - "Today, the criminal charges against anti-corruption blogger Mehman Huseynov have been dropped by the General Prosecutor's Office, upon recommendation from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. In my capacity as Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, I very much welcome this positive development, and look forward to seeing Mr Huseynov be promptly released and reunited with his beloved ones. Naturally, I remain convinced that he should not have been imprisoned in the first place, that the due and fair process of law should always prevail and that arbitrary leniency of the President should not be necessary.

I also wish to commend our colleagues from the EU Delegation on their tenacious mobilisation, as their endeavours have certainly contributed to the prompt solving of this case, while providing comfort to Mr Huseynov in these difficult times.

I now call on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all imprisoned political prisoners, journalists, human rights defenders and other civil society activists, and to fully restore their political and civil rights, in line with the European Parliament's recommendation of 4 July 2018 on the negotiations on the EU-Azerbaijan Comprehensive Agreement, its recommendation of 15 November 2017 on the Eastern Partnership and its resolution of 15 June 2017 on the case of journalist Afgan Mukhtarli.

I like to see the release of Mr Huseynov as a positive precursor to resolving this general matter, which in turn would allow for the further deepening of the relations between the EU and Azerbaijan, and for the signing of an ambitious Comprehensive Agreement."

STATEMENT

BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DELEGATION, MEP Sajjad KARIM

on the adoption of an urgency resolution

on Azerbaijan, notably the case of Mehman Huseynov

Strasbourg, 17 January - "In my capacity as Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, I have witnessed and supported the warming of relations between Azerbaijan and the EU. The last meeting of our Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, held on 7-8 May 2018 in Baku, was a resounding success: we took stock of Azerbaijan's role as a key energy partner for the EU and transport hub in the region, and we lauded its stability and spirit of tolerance, while stressing at the same time the importance to address fundamental issues of democracy and human rights.

The EU, as a champion of democracy, human rights and free speech across the globe, should not and must not turn a blind eye to the mistreatment of any individual by any government. No matter how exciting and how extensive the progress in international agreements may be, we must not abandon the individuals they are designed to benefit.

With these individuals in mind, there is much in the resolution that our Parliament must reinforce by calling on the Commission and EEAS to seek, and indeed, Azerbaijan to provide, adequate protections for those accused of these crimes. Guarantees of medical assistance, access to legal counsel and family visits must be found as a priority for all individuals listed in this resolution.

The strong relationship that we have built with Azerbaijan has already paid dividends and the granting of access to the EU Delegation to visit anti-corruption blogger Mehman Huseynov is a positive precursor to resolving the situation.

Our relations must always reflect our values, but equally they must always have respect for all of our partners.

In the resolution which they passed today, the Members of the European Parliament call on the Azerbaijani authorities to see that Mehman Huseynov - as well as other imprisoned political prisoners, journalists and political activists - be promptly released from jail.

In its recommendation of 4 July 2018 on the negotiations on the EU-Azerbaijan Comprehensive Agreement, the European Parliament recalled its position, as already expressed in its recommendation of 15 November 2017 on the Eastern Partnership, seeking that all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience be released and that the conditions be put in place to allow for the civil society's legitimate activities, before any agreement is signed.

The European Parliament will closely monitor the situation throughout the negotiations on the new, far-reaching agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan."

STATEMENT

BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DELEGATION, MEP Sajjad KARIM

on the event "2018: A Landmark for the South Caucasus"

which took place on the premises of the European Parliament on 28 November 2018

Brussels, 29 November 2018 - "Yesterday night's event was a great success and it was truly an honour for a lot of the people that I have worked side-by-side with over the years to come together as they did to celebrate our South Caucasus related achievements.

"What I originally took on as a job, genuinely has led to a very different place today where I feel that through the EU, we genuinely have managed to reach out through this Parliament and our sister institutions, in a way that is actually a fine example of how the EU can really add value. Not just on behalf of Member States and our citizens, but on behalf of citizens in countries with whom we are building our relations.

"Indeed, we have a number of celebrations in the South Caucasus this year. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have all had centenary celebrations of one form or another and all demonstrate the genuine value they place on their independence, on their sovereignty and on their genuine desire and wish to set a path for their people to do things in their own way, and that really has been one of the binding things in the EP delegation.

"So many of my friends and colleagues who attended last night: Andreas Mamikins MEP, Claire Moody MEP, Ramona Mănescu MEP, among others, have played a vital role in their own style and in their own unique way that has allowed us to interact with our partners within the region on a point of mutual respect, and indeed, understanding, and there really has been a need for understanding along this journey - there's no doubt about that.

"One of the things that I learned very early on from the interactions that I had, was the tremendous challenges and threats that all three of these countries have to face on a daily basis, simply because of their geography. We see that these forces are reaching out with their tentacles on a much more pervasive basis than I think any of us in Western Europe could have imagined. So in that sense, we have a tremendous amount still to learn from these three countries.

"None of this would have been possible though without the help of my South Caucasus counterparts, Co-Chairs Armen Ashotyan, Tamar Khulordava and Javanshir Feyziyev, as well as Ambassadors Tatoul Markarian, Natalie Sabanadze and Fuad Isgandarov who have been essential interlocutors for me and tremendously supportive throughout the years. Without them, neither their countries interest could have been served in the way they have done so, nor could our delegation on behalf of the EP have achieved anything for our partners in the way that we have.

"I must also thank my colleagues at the Commission and EEAS, Luc Devigne, Vassilis Maragos and Lawrence Meredith - to name a few - who have provided invaluable assistance during my tenure. We managed to establish great working relations between all our sister institutions, demonstrating that our delegation is a great example of how co-working should happen and I hope that it will continue way beyond my mandate."

STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DELEGATION, MEP Sajjad KARIM

on the adoption, in plenary,

of the report on the implementation of the Association Agreement with Georgia 2017/2282(INI)

Strasbourg, 14 November 2018 - "Today's vote in plenary, on the report on the implementation of the Association Agreement with Georgia, marks a new milestone in the history of our relations with this country.

More than four years after the signing, by the EU, of Association Agreements - including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) dimension - with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, the time had certainly come to evaluate the effective implementation of these agreements, in line with our unwavering commitment vis-à-vis our closest allies on the EU's Eastern flank and with the continuous deepening of our relations.

As far as Georgia is concerned, the overall picture is of course flattering. This is not surprising at all, given that our successive Parliamentary Association Committee meetings have taken stock of the country's good progress and commitment in the implementation of the Association Agreement, may it concern harmonisation, legislative or administrative steps.

"Today, I had the honour to co-chair with Mr Armen Ashotyan, MP, the inaugural meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee.

Strasbourg, 1 October 2018 - "Today marks the 10th anniversary of the deployment of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), in the aftermath of the Russian aggression of August 2008 and the signature of the Six-Point Agreement that ended the war.

For the past decade, the EUMM has decisively contributed to enhance security and stability in the region, conducting day and night over 65,000 patrols along the Administrative Boundary Lines (ABLs) wit Abkhazia and South Ossetia, thus facilitating the resumption of a safe and normal life - insofar as possible - for the populations who live in the vicinity of the ABLs, and building up confidence amongst the parties concerned, notably through its Hotline and its support to the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meetings.

We call on the Russian Federation to honour its international obligations, and notably to grant the EUMM access to the occupied regions, in accordance with the aforementioned Six-Point Agreement. At the same time, we commend the Georgian authorities on their laudable readiness for dialogue, illustrated i.a. by the "A Step for a Better Future" peace initiative.

The EU's recent decision to extend the mandate of the EUMM for a further two years, until December 2020, is yet another proof of its commitment to contribute to a peaceful solution of the conflict, by negotiation and diplomacy."