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Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia Marija Pejčinović Burić, who will soon complete her six-month chair, has officially backed the legal arguments about the illegality of sanctions against Russia imposed in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

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Speaking at a PACE session in Strasbourg on October 10, she abstained from accusations addressed to the Assembly, but noted that PACE should take into account the conclusions prepared by Legal Adviser of the Council of Europe Jörg Polakiewicz at the general request of the Secretary General and the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Ukraine's news outlet European Pravda said.

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The Croatian representative urged PACE to act without going beyond the statutory powers.

Pejčinović Burić also called for preserving Russia within the Council of Europe, leaving the Council of Europe status of a pan-European organization. At the same time, she acknowledged the Russian side does not participate in the work of the PACE on its own will.

As UNIAN reported earlier, PACE has not yet collected enough votes to amend the rules, which may complicate the procedure for maintaining sanctions against Russia.

On Tuesday, October 9, PACE was considering changes to the rules and procedures that may complicate the procedure for maintaining sanctions against Russia. In particular, it was planned to increase the share of votes from 50% to 2/3 on the issue of appealing the powers of national delegations, including in the context of the extension of sanctions against the Russian Federation.