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.
We have no plans to leave PACE. The refusal is related to Ukraine. The decision regarding Russia was unacceptable,” Georgian Vice Parliament Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili said.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine also refused to attend the opening ceremony. The Ukrainian delegation said that they will not participate in the whole autumn season.
Members of the Georgian delegation and six other countries left a session of PACE in protest ON jUNE 26, 2019 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, agreed 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 was unacceptable as Russia has not changed its attitudes and policy and continues to occupy the territories of sovereign countries.