You're reading: Council of Europe Committee of Ministers chairman: Credentials of Russian delegation to PACE unlikely to be restored in 2015

Moscow, April 11 - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's (PACE) position regarding the credentials of the Russian delegation to this organization is unlikely to change before the end of 2015, says Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Chairman and Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders.

“It should not be expected that the position regarding Russia’s
credentials in PACE could change before the end of this year. The
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe should not be expected
to revise its decision on suspending the credentials of the Russian
delegation to PACE in the absence of significant progress in the process
of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine,” Reynders said in an interview
with Interfax.

“I believe no such significant changes will occur before the end of this year that could change the situation,” he said.

The suspension of Russia’s credentials in PACE does not obstruct its
cooperation with the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, he said.

“There are no obstacles to the Council of Europe Committee of
Ministers’ continued cooperation with Russia. Russia’s credentials at
the Committee have not been blocked, and we are continuing to work
together. We expect to publish a joint statement on May 19 on combating
radicalism, terrorism, and extremism, and I expect that it would be
adopted in a consensus together with Russia,” he said.

PACE recently deprived the Russian delegation of the right to vote
until April, so extending its earlier sanctions imposed over Russia’s
role in the Ukraine crisis. In response, the Russian delegation left the
assembly before the end of 2015.

State Duma Chairman Sergei Naryshkin later made a statement in
Strasbourg to the effect that, if the situation does not change for the
better, Russia might withdraw from PACE and the Council of Europe.

Russian State Duma international affairs committee head Alexei
Pushkov explained later that, to leave PACE, Russia has to withdraw from
the Council of Europe.

“There is no mechanism of expelling Russia from PACE, and a
delegation can be deprived of its powers only until the end of a
calendar year. Then the sanctions are nullified. Therefore, the full
withdrawal from PACE is possible only in case of Russia’s withdrawal
from the Council of Europe as such,” Pushkov said.