Russia interested in cooperation with France in PACE - Matviyenko
MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - Russia would like to hold consultations with the French delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) aimed at "combining constructive forces" within this platform, Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko said.
"We would be interested in holding consultations with members of the French delegation to the PACE in terms of combining constructive forces in this international parliamentary organization," Matviyenko said when meeting in Moscow with the delegation of French members of parliament led by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, head of the French Senate Commission on International Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces.
Russia stands for its delegation's fully returning to work in the PACE, she said.
"We believe it is necessary to swiftly overcome the crisis which the PACE was forced into by a number of irresponsible PACE members," she said.
Russia's principled stance to insist on is that changes must be made to the PACE regulation "so as to prevent any kind of discriminatory restrictions regarding activities of any national delegation", she went on.
Once this fundamental condition is met, Russia will be ready to return to full-format participation in the PACE, Matviyenko said.
The head of Russia's Federation Council International Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachyov, said on Monday that the delegation of the French Senate Commission on International Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces spoke out against sanctions against parliamentarians, expressing the French side's readiness to uphold the idea of Russia's return to the PACE.