PACE has ratified the credentials of the Russian parliamentary delegation – by 96 votes to 44, with 7 abstentions – after they were challenged on substantive grounds on the opening day of the session.
In a resolution based on a report by Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL), the Assembly listed some of the steps taken since Russia’s return to PACE six months ago – including the release of illegally detained Ukrainian sailors, some progress on implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and its participation in the mutual release of detainees. The Assembly recalled its position on the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Russia was currently subject to monitoring of its compliance with Council of Europe commitments and obligations, and was “co-operating fully”, the Assembly added.
It invited its Monitoring Committee to closely follow the constitutional amendments currently under way in Russia, explicitly underlining each member State’s obligation to abide by judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, and resolved to assess progress in the course of 2020.
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Concluding, the parliamentarians said the Assembly was a platform where the Russian Federation could be “held accountable” on the basis of Council of Europe values, and where political dialogue could take place with the participation of all concerned.
PACE