The credentials of the Russian delegation, challenged on Monday on "substantive grounds" at the opening of the first 2020 part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), were ratified on Wednesday 29 January by 96 votes to 44, with 7 abstentions.
The adopted resolution is based on a report by Tiny Kox (European United Left) of the Netherlands, drafted on behalf of the Monitoring Committee.
It notes the progress made since the return of the delegation of the Russian Federation and the first validation of its credentials 6 months ago: - progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements; - exchange of prisoners with Ukraine (including filmmaker Oleg Sentsov); - liberation of Ukrainian sailors.
Another "important positive development", Tiny Kox stressed during the debate: "the decision of the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine to finally talk to each other", a rapprochement which has made it possible to relaunch the talks in 'Normandy' format.
The rapporteur also stressed that the Russian Federation had settled its arrears to the Council of Europe and was co-operating with the Monitoring Committee as promised. It is this Committee that will be responsible for scrutinising the constitutional amendments currently under way in Russia, he said, explicitly emphasising the obligation of each Member State to comply with the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
Vladimir Putin's announcement of a referendum that would propose the pre-eminence of domestic law over international treaties was the reason for Monday's challenge by Lithuanian MEP Emanuelis Zingeris (EPP).
PACE has therefore followed the opinion of the rapporteur supported by the Committee on Rules of Procedure and validated the credentials of the members of the delegation of the Russian Federation. At the same time, it made a point of reiterating its position on the "illegal annexation of the Crimea" and called for a follow-up report later this year.
It is in the framework of this future report that the progress made can be examined, said Tiny Kox, noting that PACE is the ideal forum for political dialogue in which all parties must be able to express themselves. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)