Once the members of the parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will see that leading EU countries such as Germany, France, will begin to question the easing of sanctions against Russia will change the position and the organization, says member of the state Duma Alexei Pushkov.
MOSCOW, 18 Jan. The position of the parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to Russia depends on the position of the EU in General and of some influential members, in case of softening the EU’s position will change and the attitude, said the TV channel “Russia 24” the head of the Duma Committee on international Affairs Alexei Pushkov.
“It is the position of the European Union determines the nature of discussions in PACE. Many of those countries that are not members of the EU, they want to come in, to join the EU. And also focus on the position of Brussels”, — said Pushkov.
In his opinion, many European politicians, particularly from Eastern Europe and countries, while not members of the European Union, in its position dependent.
“I remember how silent the representatives of very many States, just as was held the meeting of Putin and Obama at the UN General Assembly in new York. And all at once become in these supposedly independent European countries: see, and suddenly something shifted, and suddenly the Americans are closer to Russians? The week was complete silence all our opponents. Then they saw that Obama actually had no intention of reducing tensions with Russia, and again was inspired,” he quoted the example of Alexei Pushkov.
“Once they see that the EU or the leading EU countries, such as Germany, France, begin to raise the issue of easing sanctions against Russia will change and the position of the national delegations in PACE. Because these national delegations of the majority is the ruling party of the EU, and therefore of the government,” predicts Russian parliamentarian.
According to him, “our relationship with the EU is stagnating, staying in a state of political crisis, what I call “negative stability”, that is, stability with a minus sign, and don’t move”. At the same time, “as soon as the EU starts to review the sanctions in relations with Russia, will see how to change the position of many in PACE”, made the optimistic forecast is the head of the Duma Committee on international Affairs Alexei Pushkov. “So we will wait for the EU’s stance, and then I think you can expect more realistic approaches in the position of the parliamentary Assembly”, — he concluded.
