Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Responded to the PACE Decision on Russia

“The situation is evidence of a departure from the values of the Council of Europe as a result of financial blackmail on the part of the Russian Federation,” Ministry’s statement reads. The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine has said that the resolution passed by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on strengthening the decision-making process of the Parliamentary Assembly concerning credentials and voting is an admissible cession to the Russian Federation, which has been engaged in military aggression against Ukraine since 2014, grossly violating the principles of the international law, including the rules of the Council of Europe, the press service of the ministry has reported on Tuesday, June 25. “A significant weakening of the PACE sanctions mechanism, envisaged by the resolution, happened in default of the absence of any positive steps of the Russian Federation, nonfulfilment of its obligation, as well as PACE resolutions approved in response to Russian aggression,” the statement reads. “What happened at PACE is evidence of derogation from the declared standards, principles and values of the Council of Europe as a result of unprecedented pressure and financial blackmail from the Russian Federation”, the statement stressed. “By depriving itself of the opportunity to use more effective sanctions, the Assembly has significantly weakened its role in modern European politics, and then the ability to effectively protect the rule of law, human rights and democracy in all Council of Europe member states, including the Russian Federation. On the 70th anniversary of its founding, the Parliamentary Assembly lost its credibility, and can no longer play the role that the founding fathers endowed it. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stresses that it has consistently opposed such a scenario, and this position remains unchanged. “Despite the fact that today we have witnessed the defeat of European parliamentarism, the moral victory remains for those countries that did not support the destructive decisions in the Council of Europe”, the statement reads. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a decision to change its sanctions mechanism, in which it invited Russia back to work in PACE without limiting its voting rights. 118 Assembly Members voted in favor, 62 were against, 10 abstained. The decision was adopted on the night of 25 June after lengthy readings of the 200 amendments submitted by the Ukrainian delegation – a tactic which was used for the first time in the practice of PACE. Корреспондент.net