Russia Open For Frank Dialogue With Council Of Europe - Upper Chamber Speaker

Sumaira FH Published March 16, 2021 | 12:45 AM

Russia is ready to maintain a frank and open dialogue with the Council of Europe despite the attempts to use the council as an instrument for countering Moscow, the Russian upper chamber speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, said on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2021) Russia is ready to maintain a frank and open dialogue with the Council of Europe despite the attempts to use the council as an instrument for countering Moscow, the Russian upper chamber speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, said on Monday.

"To our great regret, we still see attempts to use the Council of Europe as a tool for confrontation in the relations with Russia, we still see double standards, new dividing lines, and groundless and unfair attacks on our country. But in parallel with protecting our interests, we are still set for a clear and open dialogue that would be based on mutual respect, we want to meet targets for the sake of which the Council of Europe was once established," Matviyenko said at a meeting with Rik Daems, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

In spite of all the challenges, Russia's 25-year membership in the council was gainful, the Russian lawmaker noted.

"I personally believe that the Council of Europe has a huge unifying potential, the creation of a single legal, social, humanitarian framework and interaction in the common European space," Matviyenko said, adding that the house considers Russia's participation in the council "very useful."

Throughout its council membership, Russia has joined nearly 70 conventions and done a lot to improve the national legislation and law enforcement practices, the lawmaker noted.

"At the same time, I think the 25 years of Russia's membership in the Council of Europe has brought a lot of useful and intellectual insights into the activities of the Council of Europe itself," Matviyenko said.

In early March, the head of the Russian delegation to PACE, Pyotr Tolstoy, said that the country should be ready to withdraw if hostile measures against it were to be imposed by the organization over jailing opposition figure Alexey Navalny.