'Council of Europe must keep talking to Russia'
Russia's delegation at the Council of Europe may face sanctions, but the deputy president of the Council's parliamentary assembly, Axel Fischer, says it's unlikely Russia will be excluded altogether.
Deutsche Welle: The Council of Europe has been critical of the situation in Ukraine for quite some time, in particular with regard to human rights, the rule of law and the democratization process. Why is the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe intent on imposing sanctions on the Russian delegation at this point in time? Axel Fischer: The Council of Europe and the OSCE have already sent observers to Ukraine and Crimea, and we're also going to accompany the upcoming presidential elections. Of course, the question was: what were the legal preconditions for the vote in Crimea on March 16, and how did Russia annex the Ukrainian peninsula afterwards - in particular bearing in mind that the US, Britain and Russia promised to guarantee Ukraine's territorial integrity after the country gave up its nuclear weapons. The question was, can the Council of Europe simply stand by and watch or must it take action. Our British colleague Robert Walter launched the first initiative: he submitted a motion suggesting that the Council of Europe must formally approach the delegation. He even demanded canceling he Russian delegation's accreditation. You also signed the petition: Are you aiming for Russia's expulsion from the Council of Europe? The petition aims at cancelling the accreditation, but withdrawing the right to vote could be a compromise solution. We believe there has been a breach of the Council of Europe's basic principles. We must make it very clear that the Council of Europe takes its duties seriously, and works towards understanding and a peaceful solution to the conflict. According to Russian media, the head of the Russian delegation has already announced their departure ahead of the Parliamentary Assembly vote. We don't want the situation to escalate any further and we want to keep the talks with Russia going. But under no circumstances will we be blackmailed. We will openly discuss the situation at the meeting and then we'll see what we can agree on. Perhaps the Russians have good arguments to convince us, but right now, I don't expect that to be the case. De-escalation is the first priority - but should the delegates really withdraw ahead of time, what signal would that send to the members of the Council of Europe? I don't believe the Russians will simply opt out. I could imagine the Russian delegation withdrawing if the monitoring committee were to advise the assembly to revoke accreditation. It's possible, but we shouldn't aim for that outcome. But we also can't decide to do nothing at all just because of the Russian announcement. We'll calmly analyze the situation - but de-escalation needs both sides. It's not acceptable that we hold back, discuss possible solutions as to how we could approach the Russian delegation, and meanwhile the Russian side only makes demands. That won't work: the two sides must approach one another. How have negotiations with your Russian counterpart gone up until now? The Russian side's criticism concerning Ukraine is very clear. They say it wasn't a revolution, but a coup, and it wasn't covered by the constitution. They accuse Europeans and Americans of interference. The role of the EU isn't seen in a positive light, either. But that's the Russian point of view. We have a clear point of view, too: we have clear criteria for the Council of Europe that are in accordance with the rule of law, and we know how democracy should function and how elections should be conducted. No matter who did what in Ukraine and in Kyiv, we want human rights to be observed and the rule of law to be guaranteed. That is the Council of Europe's duty. Axel Fischer is a Christian Democrat member of Germany's Bundestag. He heads the German delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Russia
Russia Russian_Empire Russia_national_football_team Russia_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Russia_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team Tsardom_of_Russia Russia_national_rugby_union_team Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic Russian_Football_Union Russia_women's_national_football_team Russia_national_basketball_team Russia_national_rugby_league_team Russia_Fed_Cup_team Russia_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Russia_national_handball_team Russia_Davis_Cup_team
Russia
Russia Russian_Empire Russia_national_football_team Russia_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Russia_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team Tsardom_of_Russia Russia_national_rugby_union_team Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic Russian_Football_Union Russia_women's_national_football_team Russia_national_basketball_team Russia_national_rugby_league_team Russia_Fed_Cup_team Russia_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Russia_national_handball_team Russia_Davis_Cup_team
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Council
Council_of_the_European_Union Council City_council European_Council Council,_Idaho County_council United_Nations_Security_Council Council,_Alaska Council_of_the_District_of_Columbia University_council Town_council Synod Committee Local_government Queensland_Legislative_Council Council_house
Axel Fischer
Axel_Fischer
Russia
Russia Russian_Empire Russia_national_football_team Russia_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Russia_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team Tsardom_of_Russia Russia_national_rugby_union_team Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic Russian_Football_Union Russia_women's_national_football_team Russia_national_basketball_team Russia_national_rugby_league_team Russia_Fed_Cup_team Russia_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Russia_national_handball_team Russia_Davis_Cup_team
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche_Welle Deutsche_Welle_GmbH DW-TV
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Ukraine
Ukraine Ukraine_national_football_team Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic List_of_non-marine_molluscs_of_Ukraine Football_Federation_of_Ukraine ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Ukraine Ukraine_women's_national_football_team Ukraine_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Ukraine_national_under-21_football_team Ukraine_national_under-19_football_team Ukraine_Fed_Cup_team Ukrainian_Basketball_SuperLeague Ukraine_national_rugby_union_team Ukraine_national_basketball_team Ukraine_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics Ukrainian_People's_Republic
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe
Russian
Axel Fischer
Axel_Fischer
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
OSCE
Organization_for_Security_and_Co-operation_in_Europe Objective_structured_clinical_examination OSCE_Minsk_Group
Ukraine
Ukraine Ukraine_national_football_team Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic List_of_non-marine_molluscs_of_Ukraine Football_Federation_of_Ukraine ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Ukraine Ukraine_women's_national_football_team Ukraine_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Ukraine_national_under-21_football_team Ukraine_national_under-19_football_team Ukraine_Fed_Cup_team Ukrainian_Basketball_SuperLeague Ukraine_national_rugby_union_team Ukraine_national_basketball_team Ukraine_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics Ukrainian_People's_Republic
Crimea
Crimea Autonomous_Republic_of_Crimea Crimean_War Republic_of_Crimea Crimean_Khanate Annexation_of_Crimea_by_the_Russian_Federation Crimean_People's_Republic Crimea_in_the_Turkvision_Song_Contest Crimean_Campaign Crimean_Federal_District Crimean_Offensive Crimean_Premier_League Crimean_Autonomous_Soviet_Socialist_Republic Crimea_Germans Crimea,_Louisiana Crimean_Oblast
Crimea
Crimea Autonomous_Republic_of_Crimea Crimean_War Republic_of_Crimea Crimean_Khanate Annexation_of_Crimea_by_the_Russian_Federation Crimean_People's_Republic Crimea_in_the_Turkvision_Song_Contest Crimean_Campaign Crimean_Federal_District Crimean_Offensive Crimean_Premier_League Crimean_Autonomous_Soviet_Socialist_Republic Crimea_Germans Crimea,_Louisiana Crimean_Oblast
March 16
Russia
Russia Russian_Empire Russia_national_football_team Russia_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Russia_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team Tsardom_of_Russia Russia_national_rugby_union_team Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic Russian_Football_Union Russia_women's_national_football_team Russia_national_basketball_team Russia_national_rugby_league_team Russia_Fed_Cup_team Russia_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Russia_national_handball_team Russia_Davis_Cup_team
Ukrainian
US
United_States Billboard_200 Billboard_Hot_100 Recording_Industry_Association_of_America United_States_dollar Nielsen_SoundScan Billboard_charts Hot_Country_Songs Unincorporated_territories_of_the_United_States Billboard_(magazine) Dance_Club_Songs Federal_government_of_the_United_States American_English RIAA_Certification .us Us_(Peter_Gabriel_album)
Britain
United_Kingdom Great_Britain United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland Roman_Britain Kingdom_of_Great_Britain British_Empire Sub-Roman_Britain Prehistoric_Britain British_GAA Britain_in_the_Middle_Ages British_Iron_Age List_of_British_films_of_1959 Early_modern_Britain List_of_British_films_of_1958 Britain_(place_name) England
Russia
Russia Russian_Empire Russia_national_football_team Russia_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Russia_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team Tsardom_of_Russia Russia_national_rugby_union_team Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic Russian_Football_Union Russia_women's_national_football_team Russia_national_basketball_team Russia_national_rugby_league_team Russia_Fed_Cup_team Russia_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Russia_national_handball_team Russia_Davis_Cup_team
Ukraine
Ukraine Ukraine_national_football_team Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic List_of_non-marine_molluscs_of_Ukraine Football_Federation_of_Ukraine ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Ukraine Ukraine_women's_national_football_team Ukraine_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Ukraine_national_under-21_football_team Ukraine_national_under-19_football_team Ukraine_Fed_Cup_team Ukrainian_Basketball_SuperLeague Ukraine_national_rugby_union_team Ukraine_national_basketball_team Ukraine_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics Ukrainian_People's_Republic
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
British
colleague
Robert Walter
Robert_Walter_(musician) Robert_Walter_(politician) Robert_Walter_(editor) Robert_Walters_(mayor)
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Russian
Russia
Russia Russian_Empire Russia_national_football_team Russia_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Russia_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team Tsardom_of_Russia Russia_national_rugby_union_team Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic Russian_Football_Union Russia_women's_national_football_team Russia_national_basketball_team Russia_national_rugby_league_team Russia_Fed_Cup_team Russia_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Russia_national_handball_team Russia_Davis_Cup_team
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Russian
Russian
Parliamentary Assembly
Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Organization_for_Security_and_Co-operation_in_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina International_parliament NATO_Parliamentary_Assembly European_Parliament Parliament Estates_of_Württemberg Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Mediterranean Euro-Latin_American_Parliamentary_Assembly Euronest_Parliamentary_Assembly British–Irish_Parliamentary_Assembly Asian_Parliamentary_Assembly Inter-parliamentary_institution Assembly_of_the_Western_European_Union
Russia
Russia Russian_Empire Russia_national_football_team Russia_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Russia_men's_national_junior_ice_hockey_team Tsardom_of_Russia Russia_national_rugby_union_team Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic Russian_Football_Union Russia_women's_national_football_team Russia_national_basketball_team Russia_national_rugby_league_team Russia_Fed_Cup_team Russia_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Russia_national_handball_team Russia_Davis_Cup_team
Russians
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Russians
Russian
Russian
Russian
Russian
Russian
Russian
Ukraine
Ukraine Ukraine_national_football_team Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic List_of_non-marine_molluscs_of_Ukraine Football_Federation_of_Ukraine ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Ukraine Ukraine_women's_national_football_team Ukraine_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Ukraine_national_under-21_football_team Ukraine_national_under-19_football_team Ukraine_Fed_Cup_team Ukrainian_Basketball_SuperLeague Ukraine_national_rugby_union_team Ukraine_national_basketball_team Ukraine_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics Ukrainian_People's_Republic
Europeans
Americans
EU
European_Union Europe List_of_European_records_in_swimming Eu,_Seine-Maritime E.U._(TV_series) European_Hot_100_Singles .eu European_Top_100_Albums Europium International_Federation_of_the_Phonographic_Industry United_Left_(Galicia) Experience_Unlimited United_Left_of_the_Balearic_Islands Esquerra_de_Menorca United_Extremadura Citizenship_of_the_European_Union
Russian
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Ukraine
Ukraine Ukraine_national_football_team Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic List_of_non-marine_molluscs_of_Ukraine Football_Federation_of_Ukraine ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Ukraine Ukraine_women's_national_football_team Ukraine_national_cerebral_palsy_football_team Ukraine_national_under-21_football_team Ukraine_national_under-19_football_team Ukraine_Fed_Cup_team Ukrainian_Basketball_SuperLeague Ukraine_national_rugby_union_team Ukraine_national_basketball_team Ukraine_at_the_2008_Summer_Olympics Ukrainian_People's_Republic
Kyiv
Kiev BC_Kyiv Kiev-Pasazhyrskyi_railway_station Kiev_Oblast Taras_Shevchenko_National_University_of_Kyiv FC_Dynamo_Kyiv Kiev_Governorate Principality_of_Kiev Olimpiyskiy_National_Sports_Complex Football_Federation_of_Kyiv Trams_in_Kiev Kiev_Metro Kyiv_International_Film_Festival_"Molodist" Kiev_local_election,_2014 Boryspil_International_Airport
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Congress_of_the_Council_of_Europe Flag_of_Europe
Axel Fischer
Axel_Fischer
Christian Democrat
Christian_Democracy_(Italy) Christian_democracy Christian_Democratic_Party_(Chile) Christian_Democratic_Party_(Norway) Christian_Democrats_(Sweden) Christian_Democratic_Union_of_Germany Christian_Democratic_Appeal Sammarinese_Christian_Democratic_Party Christian_Democratic_People's_Party_of_Switzerland Slovene_Christian_Democrats Christian_Democrats_(Finland) Christian_Democratic_People's_Party_(Hungary) List_of_Christian_democratic_parties Christian_Democratic_Union_(Lithuania) Christen-Democratisch_en_Vlaams Croatian_Christian_Democratic_Party
Germany
Germany Germany_national_football_team Nazi_Germany German_Empire Germany_women's_national_football_team Weimar_Republic German_Football_Association ISU_Junior_Grand_Prix_in_Germany GfK_Entertainment_Charts Germany_national_youth_football_team A1_Team_Germany Germany_national_rugby_union_team Kingdom_of_Germany German_literature Germany_men's_national_ice_hockey_team Same-sex_marriage_in_Germany
Bundestag
Bundestag Federal_Convention_(German_Confederation) Bundestag_(Berlin_U-Bahn) DFB-Bundestag Parliament First_German_Bundestag Politics_of_Germany West_German_federal_election,_1953
German
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Council_of_Europe List_of_Presidents_of_the_Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe
PACE
Pace_(transit) Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe Pace,_Florida Pace_plc Pace_(speed) Fast_bowling Pace_University Pace_(unit) Police_and_Criminal_Evidence_Act_1984 Pacé,_Ille-et-Vilaine Pace,_Mississippi Pacing_(horse_gait) Pacé,_Orne National_Semiconductor_PACE Pace_Setters Extended_Christian_Pact
Council of Europe
Council_of_Europe
iptc::11000000 slot::keyword topic::politics type::entity type::igo type::organization
Axel Fischer
Axel_Fischer
gender::male iptc::11000000 slot::keyword topic::politics type::entity type::person type::politician
Russia
Russia
slot::keyword topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe0 type::location
Ukraine
Ukraine
slot::keyword topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe0 type::location
Crimea
Crimea
slot::keyword topic::none type::entity type::location type::regio
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary_Assembly_of_the_Council_of_Europe
iptc::11000000 topic::politics type::entity type::igo type::organization
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche_Welle
topic::media type::entity type::media type::organization
Russian
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
OSCE
Organization_for_Security_and_Co-operation_in_Europe
iptc::11000000 topic::politics type::entity type::igo type::organization
March 16
topic::none type::time type::value
Ukrainian
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
US
United_States
topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe0 type::location
Britain
United_Kingdom
topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe0 type::location
British
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
colleague
topic::none type::role type::value
Robert Walter
gender::male iptc::11000000 topic::politics type::entity type::person type::politics_per
Parliamentary Assembly
iptc::11000000 topic::politics type::entity type::igo type::organization
Russians
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
Europeans
topic::none type::loc-x type::other
Americans
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other
EU
European_Union
iptc::11000000 topic::politics type::entity type::igo type::organization type::so
Kyiv
Kiev
topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe2 type::location
Christian Democrat
Christian_Democratic_Union_of_Germany
iptc::11000000 topic::politics type::entity type::organization type::party
Germany
Germany
topic::none type::entity type::gpe type::gpe0 type::location
Bundestag
Bundestag
iptc::11000000 topic::politics type::agency type::entity type::governmental_organisation type::organization
German
topic::none type::gpe0-x type::other