MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) needs to make majority decisions when it comes to launching a mechanism to respond to the Council of Europe Charter violations, which is being developed at the moment, Chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky said at a meeting with PACE President Liliane Maury Pasquier on Tuesday.

Slutsky wrote on Telegram that they had met for a working lunch during the PACE president’s visit to Moscow. "We discussed ways to establish the so-called trilateral mechanism to respond to the member states’ violations of their charter obligations to the Council of Europe. For our part, we highlighted the need to set stricter conditions for the launch of this process within PACE," the senior Russian lawmaker pointed out. According to him, the current idea is that the mechanism will be launched if one-third of PACE members (108) support the move.

"Russia’s delegation insists on ensuring a two-third majority (216 votes) because such a case may result in revoking the membership of one of the Council of Europe countries, so all decisions have to be approved by a large majority of PACE member states. Let’s see how debates unfold in Strasbourg, the issue has been put on the provisional agenda of the January 28 session," Slutsky noted.

He also thanked Liliane Maury Pasquier for her efforts aimed at finding "a constructive solution to the five-year crisis between Russia and PACE and bringing Russia’s delegation back to Strasbourg." "Madame Pasquier’s term in office as PACE president expires in January but we will maintain close contact and continue cooperation," the Russian lawmaker emphasized.