"Taking part in them and developing new conventions has allowed our country to carry out major transformations in Russian society and state institutions, to rightfully cooperate in the creation of a common European legal space," she said.
Russia was accepted into the Council of Europe, a regional intergovernmental organization, on February 28, 1996.
Speaking on the subject of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CoE (PACE), considered Europe’s oldest international parliamentary institution, Matvienko stressed that Russian delegates approached its role in decision-making and resolving pan-European issues "very responsibly."
"We drew attention to the insufficient use of the Assembly’s potential, resisted attempts to narrow its area of responsibility, to use it as a political instrument of pressure on individual countries," she said.
A PACE resolution in April 2014 deprived the Russian delegation of its voting rights, after Crimea became a part of Russia. Russian lawmakers were barred from participating in PACE's three key bodies — its bureau, presidential committee and standing committee.
The 2014 resolution curbing Russia’s rights in PACE was renewed in April 2015, while additional confirmation of the delegation's credentials was scheduled to take place in the winter session.
