Georgia, 6 others leave PACE assembly in protest as Russia regains voting right
Tweet 
Share
Members of the Georgian delegation and six other countries left a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) yesterday in protest as Russia regained its voting right after having lost it in 2014 following its annexation of the Crimea.
Russia, which earlier had declined to pay its membership dues, accepted to pay them, as well as fines, amounting to €75 million before regaining the right.
118 MPs voted for the return of Russia in PACE, 62 went against and ten refused to vote.
The delegations of Georgia, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia said that the PACE decision is unacceptable as Russia has not changed its attitudes and policy and continues to occupy the territories of sovereign countries.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani wrote on his official Twitter page that Georgia strongly opposed and still opposes the return of Russia to PACE, as Russia occupies the territories of Georgia and Ukraine.
Sad decision by @PACE_News! Like back in May, during the @coe Ministerial in Helsinki, Georgia principally opposed this decision. We are consistent to our position!
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) June 25, 2019
Immediately after the rights of the Russian delegation in PACE were restored, Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko announced their departure, saying that PACE “sold its values for €75 million”.
He said that PACE “lost the hearts” of millions of people due to the decision, including the heats of Georgians, Estonians, Britons and others.
When Putin re-starts killing, you will also be responsible for that," Honcharenko told the audience.
Georgia, Ukraine and the Baltic States strongly opposed the decision of the Committee of Ministers at Deputy Level in the Council of Europe (CoE) in May, held during the CoE Helsinki ministerial, which spoke in favor [1,2 points] of Russia regaining its voting right in PACE.
The final decision was up to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Georgia expressed its hope that PACE would not allow the return of the right to Russia as the country continues rough violation of human rights.
The 47-member council – which is not linked to the European Union – promotes democracy and the rule of law across Europe.
“We are trying to make Georgia a regional hub for international business, tourism, logistics and education,” Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze said at a Q&A session in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Georgia, Ukraine and the Baltic States opposed the decision of the Committee of Ministers at Deputy Level in the Council of Europe (CoE) held during the CoE Helsinki ministerial this week, which spoke in favor of Russia regaining its voting right in the council of which it was deprived after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Liliane Maury Pasquier said that “we will continue to search for ways” to resolve conflicts in occupied regions of Georgia South Ossetia and Abkhazia “and establish contact between peoples”.
President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Liliane Maury Pasquier has begun meetings with Georgian officials as part of her official visit to Georgia on April 29-30.
The de facto leadership of Georgia’s Russian occupied region of Abkhazia announced a temporary restriction on crossing the so-called border between the region and the rest of the country amid the recent protest rallies throughout Georgia.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will discuss on how Russia implemented the judgement of the European Court of Human Rights which obliged the country pay a €10 million fine to Georgian citizens illegally deported in 2006.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe says that Russia has an “unconditional obligation” to fulfill the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and pay €10 million to Georgian citizens illegally deported in 2006. The Committee of Ministers says that Russia must also pay default interest accrued because of the delay of the payment.
The Georgian delegation has refused to attend the opening ceremony of the PACE autumn session to “express solidarity to Ukraine” and to once again protest upon Russia’s regaining its voting right in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe back in June.
Delegations of Georgia, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have released a joint statement in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the head of the Ukrainian delegation Elizaveta Yasko said today.
The CoE Committee of Ministers has urged Russia for the second time to pay €10 million compensation to Georgia for illegal deportation of Georgians from Russia back in 2006, and with the step abide by the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered against Russia on January 31, 2019. Russia had the obligation to pay the compensation before the end of April 2019, but refused to do so.
Georgia joined Lithuanian and Latvian delegates at PACE yesterday who have challenged Russia’s regaining of its voting right last year which it lost for the annexation of Crimea back in 2014.
Russia has had its voting right confirmed in PACE despite Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia challenging it earlier this week, once again protesting Russia’s regaining the right seven months ago which it lost for annexation of Crimea back in 2014.