President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Pedro Agramunt, stated that the PACE should lift all political sanctions from the Russian delegation.
In a conversation with Russian and Ukrainian journalists, Agramunt expressed his regret over Russia's decision not to participate in the work of the Assembly. According to him, Russia should have full rights at the PACE.
"I believe that the Russians should be here in the Assembly, and they should have full rights in the organisation. But it is not up to me to make the decision - it is the assembly that should make the decision," Agramunt said, noting that it was only his personal thoughts. "The Council of Europe will not stand on both feet without cooperation with the Russian Federation," the official added.
In 2014 and 2015, the PACE adopted a resolution that deprived Russia of the right to vote, the right to participate in the work of statutory bodies and of the right to monitor elections. As a result, Moscow refused to send documents to the Assembly to confirm the powers of the delegation.
In early September, PACE's President Pedro Agramunt said that he would like to resume dialogue with Russia.
In January 2017, the Russian delegation intended to return to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, only if the rights of the Russian delegation in the work of the body could be restored to the fullest. The Russian Federation has paid the fee to the Council of Europe for 2017, including the part for the work at the PACE.
Pravda.Ru
Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru