Ukraine PACE delegation disrupts confirmation of Russian delegation

The Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe led an effort at the Jan. 27 session to disrupt the
automatic confirmation of the authority of the Russian delegation, the
eurointegration.com.ua news site reported. More than 30 MPs stood up during the
confirmation procedure to protest the Russian presence. The MPs of Ukraine’s
partner states, including Latvia and Georgia, made procedural appeals against
the renewal of the delegation’s authority, which included violating its PACE
obligations with its military actions in Georgia and Ukraine, and allowing
Crimeans to vote illegally for the MPs in the delegation. MPs with the
Ukrainian PACE delegation joined four out of five factions, while People’s
Servant MP Oleksandr Merezhko became among the assembly’s 20 vice presidents.

Zenon Zawada: It was the moral obligation of the Ukrainians to lead the protest
against the Russian delegation. Nonetheless, the Russians will be able to vote
in the session until the appeal’s resolution, which is almost certain to allow
them to remain. We can expect Ukraine and its allies will continue to oppose
Russian efforts to whitewash and legitimize its military aggression in Ukraine
during the PACE session. But the delegation’s mere presence is the beginning of
the gradual normalization of Russia’s relations with Europe, which will
progress this year.