JAGLAND BELIEVES THERE IS NO GROUNDS FOR EXCLUSION OF RUSSIA FROM THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

At the recent meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the organisation's Secretary-General Thorbjorn Jagland said that there are no grounds to exclude the Russian Federation from the Council of Europe, as it does not violate the main points of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

Jagland noted that Russia and other "problematic" countries should remain in the Council of Europe until they violate four principles that a Member State can not refuse even in extraordinary circumstances: the prohibition of capital punishment, tortures, slavery or forced labor and extrajudicial sentences of convicts. According to him, this is the most important values of the European community that determine its soul. All other violations of the principles of the Council of Europe are not of such importance. That is, the Crimean peninsula annexation, the occupation of part of the Donbass and Luhansk Oblasts, the killings and tortures of Ukrainian military, tortures and assassinations of hostages, kidnapping and other crimes that Russia has been committing for years in the eastern Ukraine are irrelevant. Western liberal diplomacy can not even clearly formulate a firm stand against the main aggressor, not to mention active resistance and decisive actions. "However, this does not mean that everything else can be violated. If there is a violation of other articles and a systematic reluctance to correct them, the Member State may apply to the European Court of Human Rights" - the Secretary-General added.

According to him, the organization's main idea is to protect the rights of citizens, especially in countries where the Convention on Human Rights and the ECHR is "the last hope" and in preserving the common legal space in the territory of 47 countries, including Russia. Everything for the sake of people. It should be noted that on October 11, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on the need to regulate the rules of participation and representation of countries in the organs of the council. Less then 4 years have passed, and now it is planned to return a right of voice to  Russia's delegation. On October 20, Jagland discussed with Lavrov the issue of Russia's participation in the work of all the organs of the Council, and after the meeting promised that the Council will consider abolishing sanctions for aggression against Ukraine. Analyzing the above-mentioned events, it should be noted that Russia continues to actively lobby for its own interests in the EU through its own "pocket" politics.

As long as Russia, by any means, tries to return to the political chessboard of Europe and hush up all the consequences of the invasion to Ukraine, the Ukrainian government's policy looks simply hopeless. The "Bill on the Occupied Territories" is an eloquent example - even despite it finally recognizes Russia an aggressor state, but it consists no concrete and decisive steps on the occupied territories liberation. In fact, Ukraine continues close economic relations with Russia. But that's more threatening - Ukrainian politicians don't want to win the war!

By Inna Kliminska