STRASBOURG (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova – PACE will review the credentials of its delegations at its winter session in January 2016. PACE stripped Russia of its voting rights in April 2014 and extended the restriction in January 2015, prompting the Russian delegation to skip the summer and fall sessions.
"We need to do more, we have to think what we can do, because if we don't do anything until January, we will not have the majority we need," Andreas Gross said, addressing the assembly.
Gross said the same appeal had been extended to Russia to "show some openness to our values." Sergei Naryshkin, the speaker of the Russian lower house of parliament and leading PACE delegate, warned in the past that Russia could suspend its work in the 47-member legislature.
Disputed versions of the events that caused the Crimean referendum for rejoining Russia, and the Ukrainian conflict that began in the spring of 2014, incited EU member states, along with the United States and their allies, to apply restrictive measures on Russia.
Moscow continues to deny it played a role in the conflict between Kiev-led government forces and militias in eastern Ukraine.
