The draft resolution on changes to be made into regulations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has been withdrawn by the author. The initiator of the amendments was Petra De Sutter from Belgium.

Harsh debates were held earlier today during the autumn session of PACE over the proposed changes on strengthening the decision-making process of the Parliamentary Assembly concerning credentials and voting. Some deputies considered that the changes in fact aimed at lifting sanctions to the Russian delegation.

“The document’s author tried to present a balanced document thought it is still disputable. We are trying to find a compromise. However, this compromise is one-sided. . . . Russia shall fulfill the commitments assumed towards both Ukraine and Georgia and if it does, only then we can speak about annulment of the sanctions but not annulment of the sanction mechanism,” First Deputy Chairwoman of the Georgian Parliament Tamar Chugoshvili said in a speech delivered before the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

The Russian delegation was deprived the right to vote in PACE in 2014 because of the annexation of Crimea. Later, Russia refused to participate in the organization’s work and paying the fee.