mo4ch:>Russia not coming back to PACE as long as possibility of discrimination remains – top senator | Mo4ch News

Russia won’t be returning to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as long as it’s possible to discriminate against delegations based on “taste or political preferences,” the Federation Council chairwoman said.The absence of Russia from the organization marks “a real crisis in PACE, which affects the Council of Europe as a whole,” Valentina Matvienko said.“They understand… that a solution must be found,” she pointed out, commenting on the recent PACE resolution, which called upon Russia to form a delegation and make its annual payment to the assembly.Moscow has welcomed such positive signals and was ready to continue discussions, the chairwoman of the Russian parliament’s upper house said. However, she noted that “no decision has so far been made on the principal issue” of discrimination.The Russian delegation will return to PACE only after changes are made to the regulations, creating an equal and unified playing field for all national delegations, Matvienko stated. Rus…