Russian delegation satisfied with PACE session results

Russia’s delegation is satisfied with the results of the PACE autumn session, head of the Russian delegation, State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Alexei Pushkov said. He considered the visit to Strasbourg by Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the Russian State Duma, lower house of parliament, the key political event. “I talked with the PACE leaders and they gave a high assessment to the visit by the Russian speaker,” Pushkov said. “PACE Chairman Jean-Claude Mignon named Naryshkin’s visit to Strasbourg the most important political event,” the Russian lawmaker said. “Council of Europe Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland praises the results of Naryshkin’v visit by saying this is a new stage in relations between the Council of Europe and Russia,” he said. The fact that the PACE refused to vote for the recommendations on the so-called double monitoring on Russia and a number of other countries regarding the implementation of obligations to the Council of Europe was a success of the Russian delegation, Pushkov said. “The resolution on monitoring is very remarkable. It proves the serious crisis of PACE monitoring,” the Russian lawmaker said, adding that the PACE proved a new stage to reform the monitoring system. “Twenty years after the end of the Cold War I’d like to see Europe united. New attempts to toughen monitoring will be vain,” Pushkov said. Commenting on the debates on Syria on the initiative of the Russian delegation, he said: “The Council of Europe moved towards Russia’s arguments.” “European parliamentarians realise that extremist organizations seek to seize power in Syria. They favour the political process. The resolution on Syria was upheld unanimously,” Pushkov said.