Ukraine to skip European Parliament session due to feeling 'disrespected'
(Baonghean.vn) - The Ukrainian delegation will not attend the next session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Parliament (PACE) on the grounds that it does not accept "public contempt".
 |
| Panorama of a session of the European Parliament. Photo: TASS |
Bogdan Yaremenko, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on foreign policy and inter-parliamentary cooperation of Ukraine, said that the Ukrainian delegation will not attend the next session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe (PACE). Mr. Yaremenko stressed that the decision was made in the context that Ukraine is not allowed to express its views in PACE.
"Faced with public contempt, Ukraine is not sending its delegation to the next PACE session," Yaremenko wrote on his Facebook page.
According to the Ukrainian diplomat, PACE is currently focused on consultations with other members of the Council of Europe, regarding the plan to "restore confidence in PACE".
This is not the first time the Ukrainian delegation has walked out of a PACE meeting. Previously, at the regular June session, the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation left the meeting after PACE confirmed the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
Ukrainian lawmakers said that the return of the Russian delegation to PACE and the calls for the restoration of the G8 group are signs that Western countries are ready to soften Ukraine's stance.
