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State Duma speaker, PACE faction leaders discuss relations

The PACE faction leaders also met with members of the Russian delegation to the Assembly

MOSCOW, July 14. /ITAR-TASS/. State Duma (lower house of parliament) Speaker Sergei Naryshkin met with the leaders of three factions in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Monday, July 14, to discuss relations between Russia and this European organisation.

Pedro Agramunt of the Group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD), Tiny Kox of the Group of the Unified European Left (UEL), and Jordi Xucla of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) took part in the meeting which “focused on relations between Russia and the PACE and was held in an atmosphere of mutual interest”, a Duma spokesperson said.

“The exchange of opinions between the interlocutors was open and constructive,” he added.

The PACE faction leaders also met with members of the Russian delegation to the Assembly to discuss “how to make relations between Moscow and Strasbourg more constructive”, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs and Ties with Compatriots Leonid Slutsky told ITAR-TASS.

At the same time, he noted that as long as the PACE sanctions against Russia were in effect, the Russian delegation would not return to full-format work in the organisation.

State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov said earlier he was hopeful that Russia’s mandate in the PACE would be restored in January 2015.

“I hope we will be able to prepare conditions for Russia’s mandate to be resumed in 2015 without any sanctions,” Pushkov said.

He noted that the mandates of all parliamentary delegations would be renewed in January 2015 “regardless of whether sanctions were applied or not”. “If the PACE understands that the recommencement of sanctions will not allow Russia to take part in its work for another year and if the crisis over Ukraine subsides, we will resume full-scale work,” the MP said.

“Unfortunately, we have not seen any major progress or official statements to this effect so far,” he added.

Pushkov said the Russian delegation would most likely not attend PACE sessions until the end of 2014.

“With sanctions against us still in force, we refuse to take part in the PACE work. Since the decision on the sanctions will be effective until the end of the year, the Russian delegation is unlikely to take part in the work of the PACE until the sanctions are lifted,” he said.

In his opinion, the PACE “has betrayed its principles”.

Pushkov said he expected “more and more PACE members to understand this with time”.

 

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