(1)

On 13 November 2017, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2017/2071 (1) appointing Mr Toivo KLAAR as the European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia. The EUSR's mandate is to expire on 30 June 2018.

(2)

The EUSR's mandate should be extended for a further period of 20 months.

(3)

The EUSR will implement the mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could impede the achievement of the objectives of the Union's external action as set out in Article 21 of the Treaty,

(a)

in accordance with the existing mechanisms, including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its Minsk Group, to prevent conflicts in the region, to contribute to a peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region, including the crisis in Georgia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, by promoting the return of refugees and internally displaced persons and through other appropriate means, and to support the implementation of such a settlement in accordance with the principles of international law;

(b)

to engage constructively with the main interested actors regarding the region;

(c)

to encourage and to support further cooperation between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and, as appropriate, their neighbouring countries;

(d)

to enhance the Union's effectiveness and visibility in the region.

(a)

develop contacts with governments, parliaments, other key political actors, the judiciary and civil society in the region;

(b)

encourage the countries in the region to cooperate on regional themes of common interest, such as common security threats, the fight against terrorism, illicit trafficking and organised crime;

(c)

contribute to the peaceful settlement of conflicts in accordance with the principles of international law and facilitate the implementation of such settlement in close coordination with the United Nations, the OSCE and its Minsk Group;

(d)

with respect to the crisis in Georgia:

(e)

facilitate the development and implementation of confidence-building measures in coordination with Member States' expertise where available and appropriate;

(f)

assist in the preparation, as appropriate, of Union contributions to the implementation of a possible conflict settlement;

(g)

intensify the Union's dialogue with the main actors concerned regarding the region;

(h)

assist the Union in further developing a comprehensive policy towards the South Caucasus;

(i)

in the framework of the activities set out in this Article, contribute to the implementation of the Union's human rights policy and the Union Guidelines on Human Rights, in particular with regard to children and women in areas affected by conflicts, especially by monitoring and addressing developments in this regard.

(a)

establishing a specific security plan based on guidance from the EEAS, including specific physical, organisational and procedural security measures, governing the management of the secure movement of personnel to and within the area of responsibility, as well as management of security incidents and providing for a contingency and evacuation plan;

(b)

ensuring that all personnel deployed outside the Union are covered by high-risk insurance, as required by the conditions in the area of responsibility;

(c)

ensuring that all members of the EUSR's team to be deployed outside the Union, including locally contracted personnel, have received appropriate security training before or upon arriving in the area of responsibility, based on the risk ratings assigned to that area by the EEAS;

(d)

ensuring that all agreed recommendations made following regular security assessments are implemented and providing the Council, the HR and the Commission with written reports on their implementation and on other security issues within the framework of the progress report and the report on the implementation of the mandate.