German Foreign Minister Welcomes Russian Delegation's Participation In PACE - Statement

Sumaira FH Published June 25, 2019 | 11:16 PM

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas welcomed on Tuesday the participation of the Russian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, according to his statement, released by the German Federal Foreign Office

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2019) German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas welcomed on Tuesday the participation of the Russian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, according to his statement, released by the German Federal Foreign Office.

"Russia belongs to the Council of Europe with all rights and obligations. I am pleased that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has now paved the way for a compromise on Russian membership," Maas said.

The minister added that it was also good news for the Russian civil society.

Overnight, PACE officially invited the Russian delegation to participate in its June session, though the possibility of challenging the Russian delegation's credentials remained in place.

PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier said that the Russian delegation would be able to participate in the work of PACE even after some PACE members challenged the delegation's credentials.

PACE's decision was hailed by Kremlin as a positive thing and a victory of common sense. Ukraine, which advocated for Russia's ban in PACE, however, decided to recall its ambassador to the Council of Europe following PACE's decision.

Russia was banned from voting within PACE after Crimea's reunification with the country in 2014. The Russian delegation to PACE has not been renewing its credentials since 2016, and Moscow suspended its annual contributions to the Council of Europe in 2017.