PACE calls on Russia “to stop military support to Donbass”
The parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution which calls on Russia to stop the “military support to illegal armed groups” in the DNI and LC. PACE also urged Moscow to cease to recognize the passports of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics. The Russian delegation refused to participate in the January session of the parliamentary Assembly.
The parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) urged Russia “to stop financial and military support to armed groups in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions”. The corresponding resolution entitled “On the humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine” was published on the website of the Assembly.
The author of the document was made by Lithuanian parliamentarian Egidijus Vareikis. It says that the Assembly is alarmed by the humanitarian situation in the war in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea to Russia.
The document ten points, the Russian “financial and military support to the” self-proclaimed DNR and LNR is just one of them.
The PACE resolution also urges the Russian side to cease to recognize the passports and other documents, including judicial decisions and the documents confirming the property rights, issued on the uncontrolled territories of Kiev.
In addition, the PACE document said the need to ensure respect for human rights and the safety of the people living in the Crimea, and calls for lifting the “ban the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars” (an organization banned in Russia).
The resolution of the parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe “About the humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine” contains a call to open a new checkpoint. “The Assembly calls on all warring parties to open new checkpoints, in particular checkpoint in the settlement of Golden Lugansk region”, — stated in the text of the document. PACE also pointed to the need to respect the civilian nature of the infrastructure and to ensure the protection of civilians.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to domestic conflict and does not render the militia of Donbass financial, material and technical assistance.
In addition, Russia insists on the necessity of the observance by Kiev of its part of the Minsk agreements, which determine a mechanism for the settlement of the situation in the conflict zone.
Recall that in the January session of the PACE held in Strasbourg, is not involved the Russian delegation.
Moscow’s refusal to attend the session of the parliamentary Assembly became known in December 2017, reported Deputy Chairman of the state Duma Pyotr Tolstoy. He explained that there is no guarantee of non-discrimination the rights of national delegations. Tolstoy also said that Russian MPs will try to persuade the leaders of the PACE of the need for qualitative changes in the work organization.
Before that, the Russian delegation will not take part in PACE session in January, said a member of the delegation of the Federation Council in parliamentary Assembly Alexey Aleksandrov. “Our decision, if the PACE doesn’t change its rules, which prohibit discrimination, national delegations, we will not participate in the Assembly,” — said Alexandrov told reporters.
The Senator stressed that Moscow will resume work within this structure only if the amendment of regulations of PACE. Alexandrov added that currently the PACE fundamentally does not accept this decision, because it may violate the General policy of sanctions pressure on Russia.