Send to Kindle
Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo: EPA
The Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided on Wednesday to suspend its participation in the body until the end of the year.
The Russian boycott came after PACE passed a resolution earlier on Wednesday, which deprives Moscow of its voting rights until April 2015, the BBC reports.
Russia was first deprived of its rights to vote and sit in the governing bodies of the Council of Europe in April 2014 due to the annexation of Crimea.
Chief of the Russian delegation Alexei Pushkov said that the extension of the ban would make Moscow consider its withdrawal from the Council of Europe.
Pushkov announced that in the meantime Russia is to concentrate on its participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The resolution passed by PACE on Wednesday condemns the “illegal annexation of Crimea and its continuing integration into Russia” as well as Moscow's instigation and escalation of violence in Ukraine.
The amendment to the resolution on the powers of the Russian delegation was adopted on Wednesday with 148 votes in favour and 64 against, TASS news agency reports.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov reaffirmed Bulgaria's commitment to supporting Ukraine in a recent post on the social media platform "X"
Ukraine, backed by its European allies, is pressing Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire set to commence on May 12
Russia is set to close its airspace over the Kapustin Yar military training and rocket launch complex from May 12 to 13
European Union member states have given the green light to establish a tribunal aimed at prosecuting Russian leaders for their roles in the invasion of Ukraine
On May 9, a group of a hundred people gathered in Sofia, Bulgaria, to mark Russia’s Victory Day
European foreign ministers, accompanied by Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, visited Lviv on 9 May
Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a large-scale military parade on Moscow's Red Square
Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed his support for Russia during his visit to Moscow on May 8
South Korea's intelligence agency has reported that approximately 600 North Korean soldiers
A senior Russian general has been killed in a car explosion in Balashikha
Explosions occurred on April 22 at a military ammunition depot in Russia's Vladimir Oblast,
The Russian government has initiated its most extensive conscription campaign in over a decade, summoning 160,000 young men for military service
Google Street View Cars Return to Bulgaria for Major Mapping Update
Housing Prices Soar in Bulgaria’s Major Cities as Demand and Supply Strain Increase
