It is too early to speak about Russia's return to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) before the full restoration of the rights of the Russian delegation, head of the Russian Federation Council's Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev told Sputnik on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2019) It is too early to speak about Russia's return to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) before the full restoration of the rights of the Russian delegation, head of the Russian Federation Council's Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev told Sputnik on Monday.
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.
"All the discussions on the issue are absolutely speculative and will not become practical until the very opportunity of unilateral politically motivated discrimination of national delegations is removed from the PACE regulations," the lawmaker said.
He pointed out that all the attempts to reinstate the Russian delegation's rights had been blocked by the "aggressive anti-Russian minority" in the PACE.
"It is premature to say whether the realistic majority, which understands the Russian importance for the Council of Europe, will be able to consolidate its positions in favor of adoption of the relevant amendments to the [PACE] regulations," Kosachev stressed.
The lawmaker added that Russia would continue to make payments to the Council of Europe in case of full restoration of its delegation's rights.
PACE deprived the Russian delegation of its voting rights in retaliation for Crimea's reunification with Russia, which the Council of Europe called an "annexation."
The Russian delegation at PACE has not been renewing its credentials since 2016, and Moscow suspended its annual contributions to the council in 2017.
