Russia refused to participate in the PACE winter session – RBC

The headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France

Photo: Global Look Press

The threat slap

On the solution of the Russian delegation did not go to the first-year session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council Europe (PACE), which opens next week, RBC reported four interlocutor in the State Duma and the Federation Council.

The statement about Russia’s attitude to the work of the PACE on Monday, after a meeting of the Duma Council, the Chair of the State Duma Sergei Naryshkin. The application prepares the group, headed by the Chief of Staff of the State Duma Jahan Pollyeva, and not, as usual, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, told RBC source close to the leadership of the Russian delegation.

The decision to boycott the final, and it was adopted by the heads of both houses of parliament, with the support of all factions, said the source RBK close to the leadership of the Federation Council. “The discussion about Russian participation unfolded on Friday the Security Council meeting, it was attended by both the speaker (Valentina Matviyenko and Sergei Naryshkin. – RBC’s ). Foreign Ministry issued a report in which he presented several options, including options not to go at all, or to go, but incomplete. However, there is no guarantee that Russia will return the powers which it is devoid of the PACE. We do not want to go to Strasbourg to receive the regular political spanking “- says the source of RBC in the State Duma.

At the same time, said the source, consider the option that if the January 25 Assembly returns Russian authority, the part Yet the delegation in Strasbourg will be in this session. But such an outcome is unlikely, sure power.

If the Russian delegation will not go to Strasbourg in the winter, it will happen in the context of the current relations between Russia and Europe, which may vary for the next session, says a member of the delegation, the representative of the Duma committee on CIS Affairs Vasily Likhachev (CPRF). “It seems that the Europeans are waiting for major changes within the framework of the Minsk agreement on Ukraine. I suppose that for the spring session, the situation could change if significant changes are achieved in the direction of Donbass “, – says Likhachev.

Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) starts in Strasbourg next week, on 25 January. Before you start participating country must submit a list of its delegation. Interlocutor RBC in Strasbourg familiar with the training session, said that as of Saturday, Russia did not send your list. According to the regulations of the PACE, the list must be submitted for a week, but in the regulations specified that it must be done “if possible”, so as to send the list of participants can be later.

Non-participation in response to sanctions

The delegation of the Russian parliament was deprived of the right to vote, the right to participate in the meeting of the statutory bodies and the possibility of participation in the monitoring activities of the Assembly in PACE spring 2014 after the annexation of Crimea to Russia. After it was retained the right to attend meetings of the Assembly, to speak to them and work in committees. At the first session in January 2015, the Russian delegation was present but left Strasbourg after the sanctions were extended. All of the following three sessions of the delegation were ignored. The next revision of the delegation of powers to be held at the forthcoming session.

At the end of the year Nyryshkin expressed confidence that the credentials of the Russian delegation will be challenged. The chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Alexei Pushkov reported that the PACE deputy of the Ukrainian parliament Irina Gerashchenko, introduced the resolution on “grave violations of human rights: the New Challenges”, which he called “anti-Russian.” The draft document was signed by 30 PACE deputies of Ukraine, Georgia, Germany, Moldova, Hungary.

Deputy Director of the “Center for Political Technologies,” Alexei Makarkin does not expect any serious consequences of Russia’s refusal to participate in the PACE winter session – still out of the Council of Europe, Russia is not going to. “If they (the members of the Russian delegation to) go, would abuse from all sides,” – he explains. PACE is a platform where the address key international issues, said the analyst.

Negotiations on Ukraine are actively reminds Makarkin. After some progress in resolving the conflict and the beginning of the Ukrainian real performance of the Minsk agreements with the Russian delegation will remove restrictions and we can talk about the resumption of its participation in the Assembly, he said. The refusal of the Russian delegation to participate in PACE – a continuation of last year’s history, says political analyst Oleg Barabanov. Limitations with the Russian delegation has not yet been removed, and in such circumstances there is nothing in the session, he said.