PACE deprives Russia of voting rights for the year

On April 10  PACE  meeting   considered the issue of depriving the Russian delegation of the right to vote for the "annexation" of the Crimea. PACE sanctions include deprivation of the Russian delegation of voting rights in the Assembly, and its exclusion from all governing bodies before the end of 2014.

In addition, if Russia does not refuse from the Crimea , the authority of the Russian delegation to PACE may be canceled. For such a resolution (N13- 483 ) voted 145 deputies , 21 - against , and 22 - abstained. The meeting was held without the participation of the Russian delegation. During the three-hour debate, European deputies almost unanimously advocated strong measures against Russia .

The resolution called Russia's actions "annexation of the Crimea" and "armed occupation"  of the Ukrainian territory. Moscow is accused of threatening to use military force and the recognition results  of "illegally conducted so-called referendum."

The  Assembly called Russia's actions a violation of international law, including the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act of the OSCE. "Starting military actions by Russia  was carried out in violation of the agreement signed by Russia, the USA, UK and Ukraine in 1994, which undermines the credibility of other international instruments , in particular, to agreements on disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,"  said in a resolution.

PACE says that Russia has threatened the stability and peace in Europe as "annexation of the Crimea and the preceding actions created a precedent that now followed by other regions of Ukraine." Among them are mentioned  Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk.

The Assembly invited the PACE Bureau to consider the question on creation a commission  for investigation the task of which is "to study and monitor developments relating to conflict of August 2013", and to report back to the Assembly recommended in January 2015.

The resolution of the Assembly puts Russia  before a choice - either Russia refuses Crimea , or powers of the Russian delegation to the PACE  may be generally terminated.

In response, the Russian delegation stated about leaving  the  session of the Assembly. The representative of Latvia, Lolita Cigan, expressed  dissatisfaction that the deputy of Russia, against whom  EU sanctions were applied, " travels around Europe." The  EU sanctions  were applied against the deputy head of the Russian delegation to the Assembly, Leonid Slutsky.

German parliamentarian called the accusations  of  Russian deputies against  Mikhail Gorbachev's desire to restore the USSR. According to the member of the German delegation to the PACE, Marie Louise Beck, is  causes a serious concern.

"It seems that there is a desire to restore the Soviet Union  if  possible, to revive it ,"  she said , noting that it would mean rejection of the sovereignty of other countries and change  of current borders.

The representative of the Polish Parliament stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be  brought before the UN  international court for operations in the Crimea. He called the current policy a the policy of imperialism to which Europe should respond as soon as possible by tougher sanctions.

Parliamentarian from Moldova fully supported Ukraine's territorial integrity, and called Russia's actions illegitimate, just like a  referendum in the Crimea. -02D-