Russian Delegation Submitting Application To Confirm Credentials At PACE - Lawmaker

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2019) The Russian delegation is submitting an application to confirm its credentials at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the head of the delegation and the deputy speaker of the Russian lower chamber, Pyotr Tolstoy, said.

Overnight, the PACE adopted a resolution stating that the basic rights of members of delegations at the PACE are not subject to any sanctions. The PACE also officially invited the Russian delegation to participate in the June session, though the possibility of challenging the Russian delegation's credentials has remained in place.

"During the whole Monday, until late evening, PACE members were hostages of delegates from Ukraine and the United Kingdom, who introduced over 200 amendments to delay the adoption of the resolution allowing the Russian delegation to return to PACE and take part in the summer session. However, apart from the time spent and the nerves of their European colleagues, they did not achieve anything, as the amendments were rejected. We are applying for confirmation of our credentials," Tolstoy said on Facebook.

Ukrainian delegation head Volodymyr Ariev, on his part, said that there would be nothing for Ukraine to do at the PACE in case of Russian delegation's reinstatement without any conditions.

According to Ariev, on Tuesday, the Ukrainian delegation will seek the introduction of sanctions against the Russian delegation at the PACE.

Leonid Slutsky, the head of the Russian lower house's International Affairs Committee, told Sputnik that by inviting Russia to the PACE the organization had taken a constructive position and followed the path of full implementation of the statement of the committee of foreign ministers on the equality of all delegations.

"The ban on imposing sanctions on the right to vote, speak and be represented at the assembly is what the Russian side has been striving for for four long years," the lawmaker said.

At the same time, Slutsky did not rule out that on June 25, the issue of revising the credentials of the Russian delegation at the PACE could be raised.

In April 2014, Russia was stripped of its voting rights in PACE in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis and aftermath of the Crimea referendum. Since 2016, the Russian delegation has not been renewing its credentials ahead of the assembly's sessions in protest of the discrimination it faces within the organization. The country has also frozen its contributions to the Council of Europe, pledging to withhold future payments until such time as the Russian delegation's rights are restored.