Whereas the Group of Eight (G8) is comprised of France,
Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Japan, and
Russia;
Whereas the leaders of the G8 member states gather
annually to tackle global challenges, which include strengthening international
trade and promoting peace and democracy;
Whereas prior to Russia’s participation in the
organization, the then Group of Seven (G7) consisted solely of countries with
advanced economies and democratic governments;
Whereas after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991,
Russia undertook steps to implement political and economic reforms;
Whereas the decision to invite Russia to participate and
become a member of the G8 was based on the recognition of the Government of the
Russian Federation’s commitment to pursue continued democratization and market
reforms;
Whereas under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, both as
President and Prime Minister of Russia, the Russian Federation has reversed its
steps toward true democracy and engaged in hostile acts against its
neighbors;
Whereas, since Vladimir Putin assumed the office of the
Presidency of the Russian Federation in 2000, the Russian Federation has, among
other things, cracked down on opposition political parties, suppressed
independent media, and restricted activities of human rights
organizations;
Whereas, according to a 2007 report on Russia issued by
Freedom House, “Judges [in Russia] often report feeling pressured by federal
authorities …”, that “Corruption throughout the government and business world
is pervasive … [and that the] government’s continuing campaign against
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), particularly those with foreign funding,
curtailed the activities of human rights groups, and fine-tuning of the
electoral laws made life more difficult for opposition parties”;
Whereas, according to the Department of State’s 2007
Country Report on Human Rights Practices, “[Russian] government security forces
were allegedly involved in unlawful killings, politically motivated abductions,
and disappearances in Chechnya, Ingushetia and elsewhere in the North
Caucasus.”;
Whereas, the Russian Federation’s human rights abuses and
failure to address corruption in the North Caucasus have contributed to the
increase in violence in the region and have enhanced the opportunities for
radical Islamists to recruit followers there;
Whereas, according to a 2006 report issued by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Russian
Federation’s “policy seems to have been focused not on market reforms but on
tightening the state’s grip on the ‘commanding heights’ of the economy”;
Whereas reports indicate that high-level officials in the
Russian Federation have benefitted from the diversion of substantial revenues
from state-owned and state-influenced energy entities and from private energy
enterprises that have been subjected to pressures by the government
authorities;
Whereas the Russian Federation has consolidated its
control over Russia’s oil and gas sectors through harassment of domestic and
foreign energy companies;
Whereas the Russian Federation has apparently used its
influence over its vast energy resources as a political tool in relations with
its neighbors, including the Republic of Georgia, Ukraine, and Belarus;
Whereas through its state-owned or influenced energy
companies, Russia has tried to gain control over pipelines, storage facilities,
ports, and other energy infrastructure in the rest of Europe to further enhance
its position of increasing dominance in European energy markets, and in a
number of cases where energy infrastructure had been purchased by non-Russian
companies, subsequently shut off energy supplies to the energy facilities
involved;
Whereas the Russian Federation has failed to fulfill the
commitment it made in 1999 at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Summit in Istanbul to withdraw its military forces from the
Transnistrian territory of the Republic of Moldova by the end of 2002;
Whereas the Russian Federation has, for years, sought to
manipulate ethnic conflicts in Georgia and its separatist regions of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia, and made numerous efforts to undermine Georgia’s
sovereignty, including, among other things, providing arms to the separatist
movements within Georgia, boycotting Georgia’s major export products, violating
Georgian airspace, shooting down an unmanned Georgian drone, and shutting off
gas and electricity supplies to Georgia;
Whereas prior to attacking Georgia in August 2008, Russia
had increased its forces and military equipment in South Ossetia and Abkhazia,
and granted Russian citizenship and passports to those living in those Georgian
enclaves, thereby escalating tensions in these regions;
Whereas Russia’s military invasion of Georgia in August
2008 violated Georgia’s territorial integrity, caused tens of thousands of
persons to be internally displaced, and inflicted massive destruction by the
bombing of Georgian infrastructure, including ports, bridges, and
railroads;
Whereas, on August 26, 2008, Russia recognized South
Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, although they are internationally
recognized as part of Georgia’s territory;
Whereas, on September 8, 2008, Russia’s Defense Minister
Anatoly Serdyukov indicated that Russia will significantly increase the number
of troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and, according to a statement made on
October 20, 2008, by the chief of the Russian general staff, General Nikolai
Makarov, Russia will establish permanent military bases in those separatist
regions;
Whereas, on January 26, 2008, Russian officials stated
that Russia will soon start building a naval base in Georgia's Black Sea
separatist region of Abkhazia; and
Whereas the abovementioned policies and actions by the
Russian Federation undermine global security and democracy and weaken economic
stability and development and thereby contradict the values, principles, and
objectives of the original seven member states of the G8: Now, therefore, be
it
That Congress—
(1)notes the undemocratic nature of the
Government of the Russian Federation’s actions and policies restricting
political and media freedoms and also its failure to respect and protect human
rights;
(2)condemns Russia’s
violation of the Republic of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
and Russia’s continued failure to withdraw its troops from Georgian territory;
(3)calls upon the President to urge the
leaders of the governments of the other six original member states of the G8 to
condition Russia’s continued membership in the G8 on its adherence and
commitment to the values shared by the other members of the organization,
including: democracy, respect for human rights, promotion of peace and
stability, and proper protection of investment; and
(4)calls upon the President and the Secretary
of State to work with the governments of the six other original member states
of the G8 to terminate the Russian Federation’s participation in the G8 with
such termination of membership to continue until the President, after
consulting with the other six member states, determines and reports to Congress
that the Government of the Russian Federation has—
(A)taken demonstrable and substantive steps
toward removing the official and unofficial restrictions that it currently
imposes on legitimate political opposition parties and movements, independent
media, human rights groups, and nongovernment organizations, and that violate
the principles of organizations such as the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe;
(B)taken substantive
measures to implement free market reforms and affirmative steps in tackling
corruption on all levels, particularly within the government and within the
government’s highest levels;
(C)ceased to use
energy as a political tool against its neighbors and has demonstrated a
commitment to adhere to proper market-based policies regarding its energy
sector, including but not limited to providing legal protections and fairly
enforcing those protections in regard to both domestic and foreign investors,
and opening up its oil and gas pipelines to investment and operation by
non-Russian investors;
(D)fulfilled its
commitments to withdraw its military forces from the Transnistrian region of
the Republic of Moldova;
(E)fully and verifiably withdrawn its troops
from all of the territory of Georgia; and
(F)ceased any and all
actions and policies that currently violate or would threaten the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of neighboring states.