MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova – Earlier in the day, Sergei Naryshkin, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, said the country’s delegation would not participate in the upcoming winter PACE session and would not send the credentials. The decision also means Russian credentials cannot be challenged in the body, which imposed sanctions on the work of Moscow delegates.
"I’m really very sorry that the Russian Federation made this decision. That’s not good for Russia, that’s not good for PACE and that’s also not good for Ukraine. What we need is dialogue on the bottom of PACE and also OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]. Now the Duma decides not to send the Russian credentials to Strasbourg, because they think that there is again a majority for sanctions. But we have to find solutions and movements, for that we have to talk together," Stefan Schennach stated.
Still, the Russian parliamentary delegates and the assembly members should take steps toward each other to create conditions for a constructive dialogue, the PACE Monitoring Committee chief noted.
"We miss our colleagues from the Duma and I’m sure that they miss us," Schennach stressed.
A PACE resolution in April 2014 deprived the Russian delegation of its voting rights, following Crimea’s reunification with Russia. Russian lawmakers were barred from participating in PACE's three key bodies — its bureau, its presidential committee and the standing committee.
The 2014 resolution curbing Russia’s rights in PACE was renewed in April 2015, whereas a reconfirmation of the delegation's credentials was slated for the winter 2016 session.
