On Wednesday, Ukraine's delegation announced that it was leaving PACE immediately after the adoption of a resolution reinstating Russia's credentials in the organisation. The delegations of Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia also left the assembly following Ukraine's move.
“We discussed this topic yesterday. We are all outraged by this situation. The representatives of the countries that had come to today's meeting told me that they wanted to prepare a joint resolution. But here, in Lublin, it will be difficult to do it during the celebration. At the same time, we have talked about holding a joint meeting as soon as possible", Karczewski said on the radio air.
According to his statement, representatives from Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine met in Lublin to attend the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Union of Lublin and to discuss joint measures.
On Tuesday, PACE adopted a resolution stating that the basic rights of members of delegations to PACE are not subject to any sanctions. PACE also officially invited the Russian delegation to participate in the June session, though the possibility of challenging the delegation's credentials has remained in place. The Russian delegation then submitted an application to confirm its credentials for the first time since 2016.
In April 2014, Russia was stripped of its voting rights in PACE in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis and aftermath of the Crimea referendum. Since 2016, the Russian delegation has not been renewing its credentials ahead of the assembly's sessions in protest against the discrimination it faces within the organisation. The country froze its contributions to the Council of Europe, pledging to withhold future payments until such time as the Russian delegation’s rights are restored.
