Speaker of the state Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin
© Alexei Nikolsky/press service of the Russian President/TASS
MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. Chairman of the state Duma Vyacheslav Volodin looked forward to constructive dialogue with the new speaker of the parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Michele Nicoletti, who was elected at the opening of the January session of the organization on Monday.
“We count on open, honest and constructive dialogue. Based on mutual respect for our interests, we will be able to change much for the better”, – stated in the text of the message to the address of Nicoletti, published Tuesday on the official website of the state Duma.
Russia and PACE
The Russian delegation in PACE in April 2014 was deprived of powers due to the events in Ukraine and the reunification of the Crimea with Russia. In 2015, the PACE has twice considered the issue of restoration of rights of the Russian delegation, but then the sanctions remained in force. In response, the delegation of the Russian Federation stated that it refuses to work in PACE under such conditions, and in 2016-2017 did not request confirmation of their authority because of the continued Russophobic sentiments in Strasbourg.