Russia won't change Constitution following Venice Commission recommendations - Naryshkin
MOSCOW. March 14 (Interfax) - Russia will not change its constitution at the request of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said.
The Venice Commission earlier found the Russian law giving decisions made by the Constitutional Court priority over decisions made by international courts to be incompatible with Russia's international obligations and suggested adjusting it.
"Situations when decisions made by the ECHR contradicted national constitutions have happened before: Italy, the UK and Germany, the constitutions of these countries were not changed in accordance with ECHR recommendations. The Constitution of the Russian Federation will not change, either," Naryshkin told reporters.
"I understand that one respected body of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission, wants to help another respected body, the European Court of Human Rights, but I will also recall that amendments to the Russian Constitution can only be adopted by the people of the Russian Federation," Naryshkin said.
He said this applies to the constitutions of all countries.
He said Russia respects the Venice Commission and would like its colleagues from the Venice Commission to respect Russia, too.