MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia's decision whether to attend the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will depend on what steps PACE will make to restore the powers of the Russian delegation, Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matvienko said Friday.
"Our decision to take part in the January session will certainly be affected by what steps PACE will make to lift restrictions regarding the Russian delegation," Matvienko said.
She added that Russia's position remains unchanged: "We only plan to work in PACE if full-fledged participation of Russian parliamentarians in the Assembly's activity is restored."
The assembly adopted a resolution in April 2014 barring Russian lawmakers from participating in the work of its three key bodies – the Bureau, the Presidential Committee and the Standing Committee.
Russia did not renew its credentials ahead of the Assembly’s 2016 winter session and made its return conditional on the full restoration of its delegates' voting rights.
