In PACE, Ukraine’s initiative to deprive the Russian delegation of its powers under the pretext of arresting a Western intelligence agent, liberal Alexei Navalny, failed.
State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky reported this on his blog, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Russia’s powers in PACE have been confirmed in full. All amendments from Ukraine and the Baltic countries with demands not to ratify the mandate of the Russian delegation were defeated by an overwhelming majority of votes.
This means that the Assembly is not and is not going to follow the lead of an aggressive Russophobic minority and is ready for dialogue with the largest country on the European continent. Russia maintains its presence on the Strasbourg platform and will continue to consistently communicate its position directly to its European colleagues,” Slutsky said.
Another representative of Russia, State Duma deputy Pyotr Tolstoy, told how the debate on Navalny took place in PACE.
“The debate on Navalny turned into a rally: no facts, no arguments - just emotions and propaganda cliches. There is a court decision in the Yves Rocher case and a suspended sentence, but there is no court decision on the poisoning. We are ready to discuss any topics and cooperate in any area. But only without hysterics and clichés,” Tolstoy said.
Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko, in turn, promised that Ukraine will not abandon attempts to expel the Russian delegation from PACE.
“Unfortunately, many colleagues in the Assembly are still trying to look for an illusory “dialogue” with those who are not going to conduct it. But we won’t leave this matter like that. We, together with our international friends, will challenge the authority of the Russian delegation whenever possible.
As Winston Churchill said, “We will fight them on the seas and oceans, we will fight in the air, we will fight on the coasts, we will fight in ports, on land, we will fight in the fields and in the streets, we will fight on hills." KaRFagen must be destroyed! – Goncharenko wrote on his blog.