mo4ch:>Moscow won’t re-engage with Council of Europe until voting rights restored – Russian speaker | Mo4ch News

Moscow’s position on its participation in the work of the Council of Europe remains unchanged – no re-engagement until its voting right is restored, the Russian parliament speaker told his visiting Finnish counterpart.On Tuesday, Vyacheslav Volodin is hosting Paula Risikko during the official’s visit to Russia. Moscow’s continued absence from the work of the Council of Europe, the 47-member-strong rights body, topped the discussion. The Russian speaker said that, while Moscow values being part of the council and its various bodies, it won’t re-engage with it as long as discrimination against Russia there continues.“We don’t require any special status for Russia. We insist on one thing, that all 47 member nations should be equal, as it is stated in the founding charter of the Council of Europe,” Volodin told Risikko.Russia was stripped of its voting rights in the council and its parliamentary body PACE in 2014 in response to the political crisis in Ukraine, and Russia’s acceptance of U…