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Pedro Agramunt’s spokesperson confirms his resignation from post of PACE president

On April 28, the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has passed a motion of no confidence in incumbent PACE President
PACE President Pedro Agramunt  EPA/PATRICK SEEGER
PACE President Pedro Agramunt
© EPA/PATRICK SEEGER

MADRID, October 6. /TASS/. President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Pedro Agramunt has decided to resign, his spokesperson confirmed to TASS on Friday.

"He [Agramunt] submitted a letter [of resignation] in the morning," he said. "It was the decision he took when thought it necessary."

On April 28, the PACE Bureau passed a no confidence motion in Agramunt. The Bureau said it "has no confidence" in its president after Agramunt’s visit to Syria. However, the assembly’s regulations currently contain no mechanisms for dismissing PACE officials, including its president (except for cases of their voluntary resignation).

A delegation of Russian State Duma (lower house) lawmakers along with representatives from PACE and its President Pedro Agramunt visited Syria on March 20-21 at the invitation of Syrian parliament speaker, Khadiya Abbas. Over their stay in Syria, the lawmakers met with Syrian President Bashar Assad and had talks at a joint meeting of the foreign affairs committees of Russian and Syrian parliaments.