MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th November, 2020) The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is not effective without the European Union among the parties to the agreement, and the potential accession will be beneficial for the bloc as well, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.
In his address to the online ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe, the top Russian diplomat said that the ECHR is a "pillar of the humanitarian space" on the European continent. Lavrov added that the convention is based on international law and not artificially imposed "rules."
"However, this [humanitarian] space will not be full until the European Union joins the convention. And it should join fully without any exceptions. This is in the interests of all Europeans," Lavrov said.
The ECHR is an agreement on the protection of political freedoms and human rights among member states of the Council of Europe. Protocol 14 of the ECHR allows for the EU's accession to the convention.
