The Council of Europe (CoE) is not concerned with security issues, but cannot stand aside from the threatening situation that has developed in recent months on the Ukrainian-Russian border, as this could have dire consequences for the whole world. This was discussed by deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during the debate “Recent security challenges in Europe: what is the role of the Council of Europe?”, held on Thursday, January 27, in Strasbourg.
“Russia creates threats and sows fear”
The current debate procedure does not involve the adoption of a resolution. Therefore, during such discussions, PACE deputies, as a rule, are much more frank in their statements. And the topic itself, caused by the latest events around Russia’s demands to the US and NATO, did not leave anyone indifferent. After all, the potential military conflict that threatens Europe today will inevitably affect the fate of each of the 47 countries – members of the Council of Europe, whose parliamentary delegations are part of PACE.
“Our organization does not play a role in the defense sphere and should not deal with security issues and military alliances, but if it is to help strengthen democracy, it must have mechanisms that can stop the decline of democracy,” said Hungarian Conservative MP Zolt Nemeth.
Russian military exercises near the borders with Ukraine
His colleague in the political group, Ukrainian MP Olena Khomenko, expressed concern that Europe “may return to a situation where the world will be divided into zones of influence, when one state will occupy neighboring states with the tacit consent of others.” According to her, this may happen due to the fact that “Russia creates threats and sows fear.” According to British socialist MP Tony Lloyd, “the Russian invasion of Ukraine will bring death, destruction and refugee flows,” so “the Council of Europe cannot but be concerned about this situation.”
“It’s better to say a thousand words than to fire one shot”
Many participants in the discussion stated that the Council of Europe does not have effective mechanisms to deter those countries that violate the main statutory principles of the organization: respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights.
“I would suggest that the member countries of the Council of Europe not become economically dependent on states with problems in the field of human rights,” said the Austrian deputy from the Socialist group Petra Bair. “As long as we remain dependent on Russian gas, we will inevitably make concessions for the sake of our own economic interests,” she stressed, adding that this is exactly what is happening in Austria at the moment.
Despite harsh words addressed to the Russian authorities, the majority of PACE deputies spoke in favor of continuing a consistent dialogue with Moscow.
Finnish socialist MP Kimmo Kilyunen believes that to resolve the current crisis, “you can demonstrate strength, or you can rely on diplomats.” “In my opinion, now more than ever it is necessary to have a dialogue, to remember less about punishments, and more about rewards,” he is sure. Conservative MP from Sweden Markus Wiegel reminded his colleagues from PACE of the statement of former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, “who repeated more than once in these walls: it is better to say a thousand words than to fire one shot.”
The Russian delegation voiced the position of the Russian Foreign Ministry
As is usually the case during debates in which the actions of the Russian authorities are criticized, the deputies of the State Duma delegation ignored the calls for dialogue. Non-factional Russian MP Sergei Kislyak used the time of his speech to read out the Russian Foreign Ministry’s negotiating position on Moscow’s security requirements – a document that has been repeatedly voiced during meetings of Russian diplomats with Western colleagues in recent weeks.
In his speech, Kislyak, in particular, said that NATO “threatens Russia and is getting closer to its borders.” In response, Turkish MP Ahmet Yildiz, who is a member of the NATO Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, reminded the Russian parliamentarian that NATO is not an offensive, but a defensive alliance.
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