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Russian delegation hopes to stay on PACE platform

The possibility of PACE sanctions against Russia will be submitted for the assembly's consideration on April 10

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe EPA/RAINER JENSEN

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

© EPA/RAINER JENSEN

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Russia’s withdrawal from PACE will complicate relations — Russian delegation head

MOSCOW, April 07. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian delegates to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) hope they will not have “to slam the door” and withdraw from the group, deputy head of Russia’s delegation Leonid Slutsky said on Monday.

“This can only happen if (UK delegate) Robert Walter’s initiative to strip the Russian delegation of its powers in the assembly gains support,” Slutsky told reporters.

“But the majority in Strasbourg does not work for the sake of Walter," said the chairman of Russia's State Duma committee on Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Ties with Compatriots. “We will probably manage to avoid the scenario of sanctions altogether, however utopian it may seem.”

Slutsky said there were more supporters of the milder alternative - stripping Russia of the right to vote or to speak at plenary sessions, submitted by Denmark’s Michael Aastrup Jensen.

“It means that we a have good chance to stay on this platform, which is very important for us, though not always pleasant, and to further maintain our position with the help of constructive dialogue,” he said.

The possibility of PACE sanctions against Russia will be submitted for the assembly's consideration on April 10.

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