STRASBOURG. April 10 (Interfax) - The Russian delegation is absent from the session hall as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe debates the possibility of reviewing the rights of the Russian delegation to PACE, the chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee, Alexei Pushkov, told Interfax on Thursday, describing the ongoing events at PACE as a "political farce."
"We believe that there is no point in participating in this political farce. We see no reasons why we should take part in this inquisition. If they want to play the role of inquisitors, let them play it on their own. At the moment, we are discussing whether Russia should stay at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at all," Pushkov, who also heads Russia's delegation to PACE, said.