The unconditional restoration of voting rights to Russia in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe runs counter to the principles and fundamental values of the Council of Europe and seriously undermines the organisation’s reputation and capacity for action.
The developments both in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Helsinki in May this year and in the Parliamentary Assembly currently underway are unacceptable. Latvia cannot ignore the illegal annexation of Crimea, the conflict in Donbass and the state of affairs in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Latvia and like-minded countries will continue consulting actively and taking action to protect the international law and fundamental values.
Background information
On 26 June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe agreed to restore to Russia its voting rights that were suspended in response to the annexation in 2014 of the Crimean Peninsula belonging to Ukraine. Regardless of the opposition of Ukraine and like-minded countries, 118 members of the Council of Europe PA voted in favour of restoring the voting rights of the Russian delegation; 62 members voted against, while 10 abstained.
