Moscow Hopes to Solve Crisis in Relations With Council of Europe in 2019- Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2019) Russia hopes that it will overcome the crisis in its relations with the Council of Europe this year, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for European Cooperation Andrey Kelin said on Monday, adding that Moscow wished to remain in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) but it wanted to have its delegation's right to be fully restored.

Last week, PACE adopted a resolution calling on Russia for the first time since the start of the crisis in relations to appoint its delegation to the body, as well as to pay a contribution to the Council of Europe budget.

"We believe that it is necessary to find a right solution in the current situation based on the Charter of the Council of Europe. We do not want to withdraw from the Council of Europe but the discriminatory practices toward our national delegation must be removed based on changing the [procedures of] regulatory bodies .

.. And we hope that this year - the 70th anniversary of foundation of the Council of Europe - the clearheaded forces will prevail and prevent the destruction of what we had been building for several decades," Kelin said in his speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University).

Relations between Russia and the Council of Europe, particularly its parliamentary arm, worsened after PACE deprived the Russian delegation of the right to vote in the wake of Crimea's reunification with Russia in 2014, which was not recognized by Western states.

The Russian delegation at PACE has not been renewing its credentials since 2016, and Moscow suspended its annual contributions to the council in 2017.