Ukrainian diplomats believe that the introduction of such procedures only exacerbates the ideological crisis within the organization and will encourage Russia and other violators to act aggressively in the international arena

Open source

The new complementary procedure of the Council of Europe for responding to violations of statutory obligations will leave Russia unpunished for aggression against Ukraine. This opinion was expressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its comment.



"Ukraine is disappointed with the decision of the Council of Europe to introduce the so-called complementary procedure for responding to violations of the statutory obligations by the member countries, which negates the possibility of punishment for severe violations. The delegation of Ukraine voted against this decision," the Ukrainian foreign policy department noted.



Ukrainian diplomats believe that the introduction of such procedures only exacerbates the ideological crisis within the Council of Europe and will increase the sense of impunity among Russia and other potential violators, encouraging them to even more aggressive actions on the international stage.



Related: Ukraine’s delegation to continue its work in PACE amid approval of Russia’s authority

Since the unconditional return of Russia to PACE in June 2019, the Russian side has repeatedly proved by its actions that it does not intend to change its illegal behavior, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized.



We recall, on January 29, the PACE changed the procedure for imposing sanctions against countries that violate the principles and values ​​of the Council of Europe. In particular, the Assembly supported the creation of an additional general procedure, according to which two statutory bodies of the Council of Europe - the Committee of Ministers and PACE - hold consultations in connection with serious violations of one of the member states of its statutory obligations. The main objective of the additional general procedure is to achieve the implementation of obligations and principles of the Council of Europe through constructive dialogue and cooperation in order to avoid sanctions.