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PACE to hold urgent debate on Ukraine’s situation January 30

Process of restoring democracy by any means that had been supported by European envoys in Ukraine reached a deadlock - head of Russia's delegation to PACE

© EPA/ZURAB KURTSIKIDZE

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STRASBOURG, January 27. /ITAR-TASS/. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will hold an urgent debate on Ukraine’s situation on Thursday, January 30.

Such a decision was taken at a meeting of the PACE Bureau on Monday, head of the Russian delegation to PACE and chairman of the State Duma international affairs committee Alexei Pushkov told reporters.

“This will be a fierce discussion,” he said. “We hope that reasonable voices realizing that it is impossible to shake the situation “for the sake of democracy” endlessly will also be heard.”

Along with parliamentarians sympathizing with the Ukrainian opposition the Council of Europe also had a moderate wing, Pushkov said. “Judging by comments of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, there are people at PACE, who believe that it is necessary to reach a compromise and stabilize the situation, but not to inflame the situation with unclear prospects,” he said.

The process of restoring democracy by any means that had been supported by European envoys in Ukraine reached a deadlock, Pushkov said. “Now anonymous threats to blow up electric power and nuclear power plants appear. Radicalism already means anti-democracy,” he added.

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The deputy head of the Russian delegation to PACE and chairman of the State Duma committee for CIS affairs, Leonid Slutsky, said, in turn, the so-called liberal opposition in Ukraine had not already been controlling “a ravaging crowd.” “As a result, fraternal for us country is being plunged into complete chaos,” he said.

The European community should, first of all, denounce actions of radicals and extremists, call for restoring constructive dialogue and take all possible steps to stabilize and prevent the legitimate authorities from being overthrown through the use of force, Slutsky said.

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