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Hungary can initiate amendments to PACE regulations to have Russia back — Hungarian MP

Russia insists amendments be made to the PACE regulations to make it impossible to strip national delegations of their rights

ST. PETERSBURG, October 16. /TASS/. Hungary will be ready to initiate amendments to regulations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that would facilitate Russia’s return to that organization in case the assembly’s majority is willing to support such move, Marton Gyongyosi, a member of the Hungarian delegation PACE, told TASS on Monday on the sidelines of the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

"Yes, we can do that but if the majority does not support it, it will senseless," he said.

"It is simply ridiculous to discuss geopolitical issues at PACE without Russia, one of the biggest player in global politics," he stressed.

In April 2014, the Russian delegation to PACE was stripped of key rights, including the right to vote and take part in the assembly’s governing bodies, following the developments in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia. The issue of restoring the rights of the Russian delegation was raised at PACE twice throughout 2015 but the sanctions are still in place: Russia is deprived of the right to vote and cannot take part in the Assembly’s governing bodies and elections monitoring missions. In response, Russia suspended its participation in the PACE activities till the end of 2015. In January 2016, Russia refrained from applying for confirmation of its rights for 2016. In January 2016, Russia refrained from applying for confirmation of its rights for 2016.

Russia insists amendments be made to the PACE regulations to make it impossible to strip national delegations of their rights.

Military operation in Ukraine

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