Ukraine demands resignation of PACE head over his visit to Syria with Russian parliamentary delegation
The Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) demanded the resignation of the President of the organization, Pedro Agramunt, over his recent trip to Syria, said deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Herashchenko.
"The Chairman of the session said that, at the request of the delegates, there will be hearings where Agramunt will be prepared to answer questions. But the Ukrainian delegation demands changes in the regulations and the launch of impeachment procedures," Herashchenko wrote on Facebook.
"It is a disgrace, as happens with all those who associate themselves with dictators. Agramunt represents Putin and Assad, not PACE - that's our position," she added.
The Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will seek the resignation of Assembly President Agramunt.
A member of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, confirmed Ukraine’s position on a broadcast of the TV channel "112 Ukraine".
"A very important issue to be considered this time is the work of PACE President Agramunt, who has, unfortunately, repeatedly made pro-Russian statements. We want to ensure that at least an apology is made, and that this situation is resolved in such a way that it cannot be repeated in the future. We will fight, me personally as well as a great many members of the Ukrainian delegation, for Mr. Agramunt to resign," said Honcharenko.
He also noted that there is no procedure by which Agramunt could be recalled before the end of the year; but in Honcharenko’s opinion, the head of the PACE could do so voluntarily.
"We will put pressure on him through political groups and speeches, so that at minimum all will feel that cooperation with Russia is toxic. In addition, the Ukrainian delegation has planned several events, such as a film screening about events in Ukraine - information about our captives and prisoners,” added the MP.
Earlier, as reported by “Evropeyskaya Pravda”, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe made an official statement about his trip to Syria during the opening of PACE’s spring session.
Pedro Agramunt said that during his trip to Syria with Russian deputies, he did not represent the assembly, only himself as a Spanish MP.
"This trip should in no way be considered and used to undermine the authority of the Assembly," he stressed.
Agramunt noted separately that he does not support the actions of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whom he met in Damascus.
"The leadership of Syria is involved in serious violations of human rights ... The Assembly has repeatedly taken decisions condemning the actions of Syria, and I support all of these decisions," he said.
In March, Agramunt visited Syria as part of a Russian delegation, where he met with the country's President Bashar al-Assad. Members of PACE today condemned the meeting and appointed special hearings for April 25. Agramunt himself admitted the trip was erroneous.
Pedro Agramunt was elected chairman of PACE in January 2016 and will work in this position until 2018. He replaced Anne Brasseur.
In October 2016, at the fall session of PACE, Agramunt stated that the Assembly should do everything necessary to return Russian representatives, who abandoned PACE over sanctions, to the plenary hall. In March 2017, Agramunt visited Syria together with deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.