MOSCOW, April 1 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), an international consultative body, has threatened to walk out of the next meeting should the body move to strip the delegation of its voting rights.
Alexei Pushkov, who leads the Russian delegation, said in a speech Tuesday before the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, that delegates intended on leaving the assembly at the first sign of a vote on their sanctioning.
"It is quite likely that anti-Russia sentiment in PACE can get out of hand. In this case, we will seek to prevent the vote on stripping the Russian delegation of its power," said Pushkov, who also chairs the foreign relations committee of the Duma.
"If we see that things are moving towards that eventuality, the Russian delegation will leave the Parliamentary Assembly ahead of the vote, meaning there'll be no one to oust," he said, clarifying the delegation would explain its stance and motives behind the decision to depart before doing so.
"This doesn't mean we will leave the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly for good," the Russian MP stressed, adding Russia would still raise the issue of its representation in PACE before the end of the year.
Despite having no legislative power, the Parliamentary Assembly has significant weight in the world, especially with regards to European policy. The expulsion of Russian representatives will deal a blow to its role as an international advisory body and mediator, which has stressed the importance of global cooperation.
