"We are closely monitoring the active work of Agramunt as Chairman of the PACE… And I think that he is doing a lot to restore our participation in the PACE," Zhukov said during the meeting with the president of the Spanish Senate, Pio Garcia-Escudero Marquez.
Zhukov added that Russia considered Agramunt to be supporter of a dialogue with Moscow.
"We are ready to further strengthen, develop our contacts at the level of parliaments, the State Duma and the Federation Council, to exchange visits, as well as opinions on the most important issues of the international agenda," Zhukov said.
Russia left PACE by the late 2015 following the assembly's resolutions in 2014 and 2015 depriving the Russian delegation of the right to vote at the Assembly’s sessions, as well as of the right to participate in the work of its three key bodies: the Bureau, the Presidential Committee and the Standing Committee over Crimea's secession to Russia.
Russia did not renew its credentials ahead of the Assembly’s 2016 an 2017 winter sessions and made its return conditional on the full restoration of its delegates' voting rights.
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