OSCE PA Calls On Moscow Not To Fall Into Trap Of Those Wanting To Remove Russia From CoE

The chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs and Security, Filippo Lombardi, on Monday called on Moscow not to succumb to the provocations of those who want to remove Russia from the Council of Europe (CoE).

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2018) The chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs and Security, Filippo Lombardi, on Monday called on Moscow not to succumb to the provocations of those who want to remove Russia from the Council of Europe (CoE).

"I call on my Russian colleagues not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It is very important for the institution that respects democracy, the rule of law and human rights across the continent ... Our task is to provide our citizens with protection from conflict games, which hold them as hostage to geopolitical interests. It is very important not to fall into the trap of those who wants to expel Russia from the Council of Europe," Lombardi said addressing an international conference on the role of parliaments in the modern world.

Relations between Russia and the Council of Europe deteriorated after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) deprived the Russian delegation of the right to vote following Crimea's reunification with Russia in 2014, which was not recognized by the international community.

The Russian delegation at PACE has not been renewing its credentials ahead of the assembly's sessions since 2016 to protest against its discrimination within the organization.