PACE Head Says Russia Allowed To Partake In Assembly Work Even With Challenged Credentials

STRASBOURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2019) The Russian delegation will be able to participate in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) even after some PACE members challenged the delegation's credentials, PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier said on Tuesday.

Overnight, PACE adopted a resolution stating that the basic rights of members of delegations to PACE are not subject to any sanctions. PACE also officially invited the Russian delegation to participate in the June session, though the possibility of challenging the delegation's credentials has remained in place. The Russian delegation then submitted an application to confirm its credentials for the first time since 2016.

At the beginning of the PACE meeting earlier on Tuesday, lawmakers from Georgia and Ukraine announced their intention to challenge the Russian delegation's credentials on both substantial and procedural grounds.

The proposal was supported by the required number of parliamentarians � 30 lawmakers from five different national delegations.

Pasquier has confirmed that the Russian delegation's credentials had been challenged and said that the issue had been referred to the Committee on Rules of Procedure for it to prepare a report, which is to be drafted within 24 hours.

The head of the Assembly recalled that a delegation whose credentials are challenged continues participating in the work of PACE, but does not vote on the issue.