MOSCOW, March 31 (RIA Novosti) - A proposal to withdraw Russia's voting rights in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is a provocation, a spokesman for the Russian parliament said Monday.
"There are initiatives in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to withdraw Russia's voting rights or suspend the [Russian] delegation's powers," Sergei Naryshkin said.
"There are different angles to this provocation, but in terms of parliamentary democracy this is a step which confirms political weakness," he added.
Addressing reporters, Naryshkin confirmed Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, will consider adopting a resolution on the issue Tuesday.
Naryshkin added the move by Europe would be a heavy blow to democratic values and the very essence of the parliamentary system.
"I assume that this step is an attempt by the US to exclude European countries from dialogue with Russia," he said.
In Naryshkin's opinion, Europe's direct negotiations with Russia are a thorn in the side of American attempts to establish hegemony over policy on the continent.
"We'll see what is more important for PACE: effective dialogue with Russian members of parliament or directives imposed by the US," he said.
The text of the resolution to be taken up on Tuesday was introduced Friday and notes that the European proposal is based on biased assessments of the situation in Ukraine and Crimea.
Crimea held a referendum two weeks ago in which over 96 percent of voters supported re-joining Russia. Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which has a special status in the region, officially became new subjects of the Russian Federation earlier this month after President Vladimir Putin ratified the treat on reunification.
