In a statement adopted at its plenary session last week and published on Monday 23 May, the Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities deplores the fact that “the Russian authorities used issues of minority rights as a pretext for the invasion [of Ukraine]”, which it “condemns in the strongest possible terms”.
The Committee is also “deeply concerned that the war has exacerbated in Ukraine the situation for interethnic relations”.
The armed aggression launched by the Russian Federation runs counter to the principles of the Framework Convention, which must be applied “in conformity with the principles of good neighbourliness, friendly relations and co-operation between states”, the Committee recalls, pointing out that, since the Framework Convention is open to non-member states of the Council of Europe, Russia remains a Contracting Party to the Convention despite its expulsion from the organisation.
It therefore remains bound by its obligations and subject to its monitoring procedure.
“In this context and circumstances permitting”, the Advisory Committee will therefore continue to monitor the impact of the war on national minorities in Russia.
Link to the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/1sn (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)