A draft resolution on the Verkhovna Rada statement "On the participation of the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2020" has been submitted for consideration.
Head of the Verkhovna Rada’s permanent delegation to PACE, MP with the Servant of the People Party Yelizaveta Yasko has submitted the draft on January 11, as stated on Parliament website.
The memo to the draft recalls that on June 26, 2019, PACE adopted a resolution, which resulted in the renewal of credentials of the Russian delegation.
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"This happened without fulfillment of requirements contained in a number of PACE resolutions on Ukraine, which became the basis for the introduction and extension of sanctions against Russia. Since the unconditional return of the Russian delegation to PACE, the situation with human rights and democracy in Russia, as well as in the territories it has occupied, continues to deteriorate," the memo says.
Yasko notes that today Ukraine is in difficult condition, forced to refute Russian aggression. At the same time, the deputy notes, Ukraine duly complies with its obligations to the Council of Europe. "That is why the work of the Ukrainian delegation at the annual PACE 2020 session is very necessary to facilitate the fulfillment by Ukraine of its obligations as a full-fledged member of the Council of Europe, as well as to actively participate in improving the existing and creating new human rights standards of the Council of Europe," Yasko explained.
In her conviction, Ukraine's participation in PACE's work is aimed to prevent the maintenance of the existing situation that has developed in Europe as a result of Russia's aggressive foreign policy, to bring objective information about Russia's unlawful actions in the occupied territories of Ukraine, and Ukraine’s efforts to bring to an end armed aggression waged by the country that is a member of the Council of Europe and tackle its consequences, as well as prevent the use of the PACE platform for spreading false narratives about the situation in Ukraine.
"The decision on the participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the work of PACE in 2020 is in line with the national interests and the Euro-Atlantic course of Ukraine," Yasko said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the PACE in April 2014 deprived the Russian delegation of the right to vote and excluded its representatives from all of the Assembly's governing bodies over the annexation of Crimea.
In this regard, Russia has not paid contributions to the Council of Europe since June 2017.
Many PACE members and politicians considered such actions of Russia blackmail.
On June 25, 2019, the PACE adopted a resolution, abolishing the mechanism for imposing sanctions, which had been in force at the PACE before.
On June 26, 2019, the PACE supported a resolution approving the credentials of the Russian delegation without imposing any sanctions.
Protesting the move, delegations of Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine cut short their participation in the summer session.
The new delegation of Ukraine to the PACE officially refused to participate in the organization's autumn session over the Russian Federation's return.
