A new one has been added to the heavy consequences of Russia’s military operations against Ukraine. The European Council also participated in the successive steps from the EU and NATO.
The General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) discussed and unanimously adopted a report titled “Consequences of the Russian Federation’s attack on Ukraine”, which includes Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe. While all 216 deputies participating in the voting voted in favor, 3 deputies did not participate in the voting. A few hours before the vote, the Russian Federation formally communicated its decision to withdraw from the Council to Secretary General Marija Buric.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe discussed the report foreseeing the expulsion of Russia from the Council of Europe at the extraordinary meeting in Strasbourg. In the draft report prepared by Norwegian deputy Ingjerd Schou, it was stated that Russia’s violation of Ukraine violated Article 3 of the United Nations Charter and the Council of Europe status. Although Russia was expelled, relations with Russians and Russian non-governmental organizations sharing European values were requested to continue.
At the first session of the General Assembly on Monday, Prime Minister Denis Shmihal addressed the Plenary Session of the PACE, replacing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski. Prime Minister Shmihal urged the parliamentarians of 46 Council member countries to “unite their efforts to defend Ukraine and at the same time defend all of Ukraine”.
Shmihal asked the General Assembly to “immediately expel Russia from the Council of Europe” and called for unity to defend Ukraine and Europe. “You must show that those who carried out this unjust and unjustified attack cannot remain within the European family. It is time to stop this aggression before there is a nuclear disaster or before all of Europe is in flames,” said Shmihal.
Addressing the General Assembly on the first day, EC Secretary General Marija Buric said that Ukraine is in an “extremely tragic situation” under Russian attack, but that Russia’s departure from the Council of Europe is also a tragic situation. Condemning the Russian attack, he called on the General Assembly to show solidarity with Ukraine.
ATTORNEYS FOUNDED FROM THE WAR FIELD WITH MILITARY CLOTHES
In the second day session of the General Assembly, when a record number of deputies applied to speak, emotional intense hours were experienced during the talks. The speeches of the Ukrainian deputies in military uniform, who were connected by videoconference from the battlefields in Ukraine and addressed the General Assembly, received long applause in the hall.
Like all PACE member deputies who took the floor at the General Assembly, Turkish deputies also stated that they “support Ukraine fully and condemn Russia’s unjust attack targeting the territorial integrity of a sovereign state; for these reasons, they will support the expulsion decision”.
RUSSIA OFFICIALLY WITHDRAWAL
Russian Federation, which made a diplomatic move during the negotiations, officially conveyed its decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe, of which it has been a member since 1996, to the Secretary General. The Moscow administration announced on March 10 that “the Council of Europe will leave the Council, which has turned into a platform that the USA and its satellites use to justify themselves”. However, it had not formally communicated this decision to Secretary-General Marija Buric until before the vote.
Making a statement near the end of the talks, European Council spokesperson Daniel Holtgen noted that he conveyed the official notification of the Russian Federation’s departure from the Council of Europe to the Secretary General of the Council, Marija Buric. “Today, Secretary-General Marija Buric has received an official notification from the Russian Federation that she is withdrawing from the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 7 of the Statute and intends to terminate the European Convention on Human Rights,” Holtgen wrote on her Twitter account.
UNANIMOUSLY ACCEPTED
After two days of marathon discussions at the General Assembly, the report was put to the vote. The resolution recommending the “Expulsion of Russia from the Council of Europe” to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe was adopted “unanimously” with the participation of 216 deputies. Three deputies did not participate in the voting. When the decision appeared on the voting board, the deputies gave the result a standing ovation for a long time.
PACE Chairperson Tiny Kox, who chaired the session, immediately after announcing the voting results, said, “I am very sorry that we had to ask for the dismissal of a member of our organization. But it was necessary to show that those who crossed our red lines were not in this Council. I am happy that we dared to do so. We will present to the Committee of Ministers tomorrow. I will inform you about the negotiations and the result,” he said.
The advisory decision is expected to be finalized on Thursday, following the meeting of the Committee of Ministers, which consists of the ambassadors of the member states. The Committee of Ministers, on February 25, the day after the Russian invasion, stated that “Russia, as a member state, has violated its obligations under the Statute at an extremely serious level”, in accordance with Article 8 of the Statute of the Council of Europe. He had suspended his representation in the Council.