The New Conservative Party categorically disapproves the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which intends to restore the voting rights of the Russian delegation to the organization, informs Member of Parliament and assembly delegate from Latvia Linda Ozola.
“A few years ago, the voting rights of the Russian delegation in the organization were suspended in order to punish Russia for its illegal annexation of Crimea and its military invasion of Ukraine’s Donbass region. I would like to recall that more than 13 000 people have died in Ukraine as a result of the hostilities, and more than 3 million have fled. The situation has not improved since Crimea is still annexed and 8 Ukrainian soldiers have died as a result of the hostilities only in May this year,” stresses Ozola. “We cannot reward Russia’s unacceptable behavior with the granting of voting rights in this very important organization for Europe. In this way, the assembly discredits its values, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, the defense of which has been the foundation of the organization for 70 years. That is a double-standard approach. And if at this time, the members of PACE re-establish a full-fledged membership of the Russian delegation in the assembly, even though Russia has not complied with the recommendations imposed on it and prevented the consequences of its action in Ukraine, then it is necessary to ask how seriously the countries will continue to take any critical remarks or sanctions from the Council of Europe,” adds Ozola.
The New Conservative Party fully supports Ukraine’s position and believes that only imposing tougher sanctions on the Kremlin regime can bring about a resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and a full-fledged restoration of Ukraine’s national indivisibility. The Baltic States, Georgia, the United Kingdom, Poland and Sweden were opposed to the renewal of Russian voting rights, along with Ukraine.
