"There is no solution if we go down the road of conflict and war, there is only a peaceful solution. And if we are to have a peaceful solution, we have got to talk to one another, we have got to convince the other side that they have made mistakes and then make sure that they confront the consequences of their actions and make sure that we in a situation extend a helping hand," Gross said Wednesday at the PACE plenary discussing Russia’s credentials in PACE.
Earlier in the day, Dutch politician and a delegate to PACE Tiny Kox told Sputnik that PACE should not suspend the Russian delegation’s voting rights, because this sanction is ineffective.
Despite several delegates' calls not to suspend Russia's rights in PACE, the Assembly decided on Wednesday to deprive Russian delegation of rights to vote until April 2015 over Moscow's role in the Ukrainian crisis.
For the first time, PACE suspended the Russian delegation's voting rights back in spring 2014, in response to Russia's reunification with Crimea. In turn, Russia's delegation walked out of the Assembly's spring 2014 session. Later in 2014, Moscow officially informed PACE of its decision to halt bilateral cooperation and withdraw from the summer and the autumn sessions of the Assembly.
Russia's credentials in the Assembly were reviewed on Wednesday.
