MOSCOW, June 27 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova on Thursday welcomed the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to ratify credentials of the Russian delegation and called it balanced and consistent, a statement published on the ombudsman’s website reads.

According to Moskalkova, full and unconditioned participation of Russia’s representatives in the work of the Council of Europe bodies will contribute toward democracy consolidation and human rights protection.

PACE deprived the Russian delegation of its right to vote in 2014 in connection with Crimea's accession to the Russian Federation. Moscow stopped membership fee payment as a mark of protest in the summer of 2017 that led to a budget crisis in the organization.

On June 26, PACE voted, by 116 votes to 62, with 15 abstentions, to ratify the Russian delegation’s credentials.