"A letter, signed by the speakers of the Russian parliament houses about the fact that the credentials of the Russian delegation [to PACE] for 2016 will be requested later, is being forwarded to PACE President Anne Brasseur. We are missing the January session," Leonid Slutsky, the chairman of the Russian parliament low chamber's committee on Eurasian integration said.
Slutsky added that Russia would return to Strasbourg only on equal terms and only if the return of the delegation's powers is guaranteed.
According to the lawmaker, despite the fact that the situation remains complicated, Moscow is likely to return to participating in PACE sessions later this year.
In 2014, PACE adopted a resolution, under which the Russian delegation was deprived of the right to vote and the right to be represented in the governing structures of PACE for a year, the resolution has been later prolonged for another year. The measures were introduced in response to Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
