PACE / Photo from facebook.com/ParliamentaryAssembly

Following in Swedish delegates' footsteps, the head of the British delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has reportedly joined a statement by seven countries on joint actions in protest against the unconditional return of the Russian delegation to the PACE.

"A newcomer. The seven countries' joint statement on protest at the PACE was backed by the head of the British delegation after representatives of Sweden," Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the PACE, MP Volodymyr Ariev  wrote on Facebook late on Sunday, July 7.

Read alsoSweden reportedly joins seven countries' protest against Russia's return to PACE – Ariev

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He said Ukraine's delegates continued working in that direction.

As was reported, the PACE on June 26, 2019, lifted sanctions from Russia, which were in effect since April 2014 over the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea. All the powers of the Russian delegation to the PACE were reinstated in full.

After this, the delegations of Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine decided to leave the PACE summer session ahead of schedule. In addition, the Ukrainian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on July 1 supported the decision to suspend participation of the permanent Ukrainian delegation to the PACE in the Assembly's work until the Russian delegation fulfills a number of conditions regarding hostages and stopping the persecution of the Crimean Tatars. What is more, Ukraine's parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy disinvited a PACE observation mission who were to work during the parliamentary elections in Ukraine on July 21.

It became known on July 1 that Swedish delegates to the PACE joined the seven countries' joint statement.

According to Ariev, what is more, Poland backed an initiative to draw up a new resolution against the reinstatement of the Russian delegation.