PACE ratified credentials of the Russian delegation
That was announced by the head of the Russian delegation to PACE, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Petr Tolstoy
“The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has ratified full credentials of the Russian delegation. Every year, individual members try to challenge our credentials, but then the Assembly ratifies them anyway, that is such a traditional practice,” he said.
According to the parliamentarian, “that is simply emotions and familiar Russophobic hysteria, which, moreover, has nothing to do with reality.”
“The closure of Memorial organization, imprisonment of a fraudulent blogger, the Russia’s
invasion in Ukraine which exists only in the fantasies of individual citizens,
even return of Crimea — all these arguments had no effect, and both committees
of the Assembly supported the ratification of credentials of our delegation,”
added Petr Tolstoy
Petr Olegovich
.
He stressed that “the Assembly is a venue for discussion, but dialogue is impossible without our country.” “Dialogue implies equal relations and inadmissibility of using double standards. The opportunity to participate in PACE’s work is not a gift or a favor, but our statutory right. We have not made any new commitments and will not do that,” emphasized the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma.
Petr Tolstoy also said that during the session, the Russian delegation had faced growing anti-Russia attitude, reports prepared without visiting the relevant territories and based only on media reports and petitions of non-governmental organizations, blatant lies and undisguised attempts to interfere in Russia’s internal affairs.
“Let me emphasize once again: Crimea was, is and will always be a part of Russia. We do not recognize any resolutions adopted in the absence of the Russian delegation or ignoring Russia’s opinion and we will never implement them. We will not change our amended Constitution to please the curators of the Russophobic Baltic+ group. We also will not take into account the hysteric rhetoric about “Russian tanks”, “occupation” of territories and disadvantage of foreign agents,” said the member of the State Duma.
“We will continue to work only in the interests of our citizens with those parliamentarians at the Council of Europe who has supported ratification of the credentials of the Russian delegation,” stressed Petr Tolstoy.
