Contents tagged with PACE

  • Secretary of European Council hopes for Russia’s return to PACE before summer session

    The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, in an interview with AFP, once again criticized the possible withdrawal or expulsion of Russia from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), calling it a "dramatic event."

    However, the CE Secretary General is convinced that "there are good chances for resolving the conflict with Moscow," which will allow Russia to avoid a possible exit from PACE, writes the Deutsche Welle Russian service.

    According to …

  • Russia may refuse to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights

    Russian permanent representative to the Council of Europe Ivan Soltanovsky said that Moscow could not only refuse membership in the Council of Europe but also withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. According to RIA Novosti, the diplomat did not exclude such a possibility if the parties will not come to a compromise.

    "We are considering all possible scenario, keeping in mind foreign policy consequences for both Russia and international relations on the European continent," he …

  • PACE adopts resolution which keeps sanctions against Russia in place

    The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on “the PACE challenges”, which contains amendments that do not allow lifting sanctions from Russia and returning it to the assembly without fulfilling its obligations. According to Radio Liberty, 105 parliamentarians voted in favor of the resolution, 30 against, and 30 abstained from the decision.

    The resolution proposed a new complex mechanism for imposing sanctions, which would have canceled the existing …

  • Ukraine urges PACE to avoid restoring Russia's membership due to repressions of Crimean Tatars

    The Ukrainian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) appealed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland and PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier in connection with the detention of around 20 Crimean Tatars by the Russian authorities of annexed Crimea. They requested to use the existing mechanisms to protect the rights of the indigenous people of the peninsula and to stop efforts to restore Russian delegation to the PACE, reports …

  • European Parliament recommends appointing a special representative for Ukraine

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution that recommends appointing a special representative of the European Union for Ukraine, who would deal with issues of the Crimea and Donbas, stated Volodymyr Ariev, the people's deputy of Ukraine and the head of the parliamentary delegation to the PACE.

    “The European Parliament makes us happy the second day in a raw: a resolution with a recommendation to appoint an EU Special Representative for Ukraine has been adopted. The Special Representative …

  • PACE considers situation in Ukraine acceptable for democratic elections

    The delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) visited Kyiv on March 6-7 and declared that the situation in Ukraine is acceptable for holding democratic elections.

    “It acknowledged the efforts made by the Ukrainian authorities to have a genuine election process and urged them to continue to operate in accordance with European standards and best practices. The legislative framework for the presidential elections is good and, if applied in good faith, should lead to …

  • Ukraine conducts military exercises in the Sea of Azov

    Ukrainian Coast Guards from the Joint Forces Operation and other Joint Forces units conducted military exercises in the Sea of Azov, reported Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine’s press center.

    Using Ukrainian Navy vessels, the units pursued an “intruder” vessel that carried out dangerous maneuvers and tried to approach the coast to land “a subversive group”.

    During the training maneuvers, Maritime Security and the Ukrainian Navy, supported by coastal and airborne artillery, blocked the …

  • Ukraine calls on PACE to adopt ‘Azov sanctions package’ against Russia

    Ukraine calls on European partners to increase pressure on Russia and adopt the "Azov sanctions package" for seizing Ukrainian sailors in the Kerch Strait, said Iryna Herashchenko, the First Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada during a speech at the PACE.

    “The Russian Federation has violated at least five articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. We urge our European partners to introduce new sanctions, namely the “Azov sanctions package” against the Russian Federation and the …

  • PACE calls on Russia to release Ukrainian sailors

    The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted the resolution "The escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security,” Ukrinform reports.

    In this resolution, PACE officially demands that Russia treats the captured sailors in compliance with the Geneva Convention on to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. "The Assembly urges Russia to immediately release the Ukrainian servicemen and ensure they are granted the necessary medical, …

  • Secretary General of Council of Europe speaks about the crisis in PACE due to the conflict with Russia

    Depriving Russia of the right to vote in the Parliamentary Assembly neither improved the human rights situation in Russia nor made Russia to return the Crimea. Instead, it caused a crisis in the Council of Europe, said Thorbjørn Jagland, the Secretary General of the organization, at the PACE winter session on Tuesday, January 22. A report on his speech was published on the website of the Council of Europe.

    Jagland noted that the Assembly’s decision to deprive the Russian delegation of the …