Russia Regains the Right to Vote in PACE

In 2014, with the initiation of the annexation of Crimea, Russia lost its right to vote in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Seven months ago, when the Russian delegation was about to regain their voting right, the representatives of Eastern European nations, comprising of Georgian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Slovak delegates left the Assembly in order to protest the decision.

Although Russia was given a massive fine of 75 million Euros to redeem their voting right, they have managed to pay it, which damages the reputation of PACE altogether. For some, it already represents a money-driven bureaucratic machine, which has lost its core values.

These nations which opposed Russia’s reentrance to the Council in June were the ones who harshly protested it today. Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are all among the nations which objected to Russia’s return as a full-fledged member of the Council.

96 delegates voted in favor of the draft declaration with 44 votes against and seven refrained from voting altogether.

The resolution states: "the general assessment of the state of compliance of the Russian Federation with its commitments and obligations towards the Council of Europe" (is a specialty of the observing report under formulation). "The Assembly invites the Monitoring Committee to follow closely the ongoing legislative process with regard to the constitutional amendments currently underway in the Russian Federation," the text adds.

"We will continue to work, of course - because we have come here to uphold the values of the Council of Europe. We will fight," says Yelyzaveta Yasko, the head of the Ukrainian delegation.

The Georgian representative said that “we, together with our allies, continue to create obstacles for Russia at PACE”

Whereas our Ukrainian colleagues once again blamed the Council of Europe “of selling its values.”

By B.Alexishvili