The absence of the Russian delegation at sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) creates imbalance within the council's statutory bodies, PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier told Sputnik.
ST. PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2018)
"This situation has created imbalance inside the two statutory bodies of the Council of Europe - the Committee of Ministers with full members from Russia and PACE," Pasquier said.
Relations between Moscow and the Council of Europe deteriorated after PACE deprived the Russian delegation of its voting rights in the wake of Crimea's reunification with Russia in 2014, which has not been recognized by the West.
"We must not forget the roots of this crisis. The assembly made a political decision following the illegal annexation of Crimea, and its position remains unchanged and relevant," the PACE president stressed, adding that all sides bore a "political responsibility" to work together to find a solution through dialogue.
Pasquier noted that PACE would look into a draft report on the organization's decision-making regarding national delegations' credentials and voting rights at its October session.
On September 11, Russian State Duma international affairs committee chairman Leonid Slutsky said Russia could return to PACE and send an application with the delegation list in January 2019 if the organization amended its regulations to repeal sanctions on national delegations.
