You're reading: PACE suspends Russian delegation’s voting rights until April

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has ratified the Russian delegation's credentials, but decided to suspend its voting rights until April 2015, PACE announced on its PACE News Twitter page.

“Citing the need to ‘foster dialogue,’ PACE ratifies the Russian delegation’s credentials, but decides to suspend its voting rights, and its right to be represented in PACE’s leading bodies ‘as a clear condemnation of grave violations of international law in Ukraine,” the tweet reads.

PACE also says it will consider reinstating certain Russian powers at its April session ‘if Russia has made marked and measurable progress.’

The final vote in debating the challenge to Russia’s credentials was the following: 160 in favor, 42 against and 11 abstentions.

Commenting voting on the credentials of the Russian delegation, Russian PACE member and Duma international affairs committee head Alexei Pushkov said that the Russian delegation is leaving PACE and will stop all contacts with the Assembly by the end of this year.

“We’re leaving PACE until the end of this year,” he told reporters on Jan. 27.

In his words, Russia will stop any contacts with PACE until the end of the year.