Russia's Lower House Speaker Says Turkey Supporting Moscow's Stance On PACE

Turkish lawmakers support Russia's stance that the national delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) cannot be deprived of their voting rights, Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said Saturday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2018) Turkish lawmakers support Russia's stance that the national delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) cannot be deprived of their voting rights, Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said Saturday.

Relations between Russia and the Council of Europe worsened after PACE deprived the Russian delegation of the right to vote in the wake of Crimeas reunification with Russia in 2014, which was not recognized by Western states. Since 2016, the Russian delegation at PACE has not been renewing its credentials ahead of the assemblys sessions in protest of the discrimination within the organization.

"We have secured a full support of our moves in PACE from Turkey. The Turkish colleagues share our position that the national delegations rights must not be violated, that they cannot be deprived of their voting rights," Volodin told journalists following his visit to Ankara.

Volodin also said that the Turkish parliament would create a group of friendship with the Russian lawmakers.

"The State Duma has a friendship group for the Turkish parliament, but Turkey does not have one. Today, we discussed it at the meeting and agreed that they will establish such a group," Volodin said.