“Yesterday I received a letter from the Chair of the Council Federation and the Chair of the State Duma informing me of the decision of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation not to submit the credentials of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in time for the opening of the 2016 Assembly session on 25 January,” said Anne Brasseur.
“I regret this decision. The consequence is that, in accordance with Article 25 of the Statute of the Council of Europe and Rule 6 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliamentary Assembly, there will be no delegation of the Russian Federation taking part in the work of the Assembly throughout 2016, or at least until the next parliamentary elections take place in Russia.”
