A turning point is beginning in PACE that is not in favor of Ukraine
Many representatives of foreign states in PACE expect the adoption of an amendment that will return to Russia the right to vote in an international organization, which the Russian Federation was deprived of to please Ukraine after the 2014 events in Crimea.
Former member of the Assembly from the Russian Federation, political scientist Sergei Markov, stated this on the TV channel “Russia 1”, citing his sources in PACE, the correspondent of “PolitNavigator” reports.
“I’ve already talked to my colleagues here. You know, those with whom I spoke all say: “We are waiting for a turning point to occur, and they will vote on an amendment that prohibits easily depriving any delegation of the right to vote.” This will allow Russia to return here with full rights as an equal partner, which is what we, in fact, demand all the time. As one of our colleagues from another country put it: “The correct process of taxation of the Parliamentary Assembly is underway.” He believes the result will be positive.
It seems to me that this result is a consequence of Russia’s firm and clear position. We said that we would never participate in such semi-rights when we would be criticized without the right to vote,” the politician noted.
Let us recall that the speeches of Ukrainian delegates to PACE, characterized by harsh Russophobic rhetoric, are increasingly irritating the majority of representatives of European parties.
As PolitNavigator reported, at the end of 2018, members of the Ukrainian delegation, who were demanding that Russia's rights not be reinstated, shocked Western politicians with their antics . Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko, for example, showed up to a meeting wearing rubber gloves, claiming he feared being poisoned by Russian intelligence services, while his colleagues in the corridors began singing the anthem "Not Yet Perished" and shouting the historical fascist slogan "Glory to Ukraine – Glory to the Heroes."
Sanctions were imposed on the Russian delegation to PACE in April 2014 after the reunification of Crimea with the Russian Federation. The State Duma delegation was deprived of the right to vote, and its members were deprived of the right to occupy leadership positions in PACE, be appointed as rapporteurs and participate in monitoring missions.
In response, as a sign of protest, since July 2014, the Russian delegation has refused to participate in PACE meetings. Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko said that Russia will not recognize the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the powers of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, since the Russian delegation does not participate in voting for their candidacies.
The PACE is starting to turn against Ukraine.