OREANDA-NEWS A bill on the denunciation of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the protection of national minorities has been submitted to the State Duma, it follows from the database of the lower house of Parliament.

"The draft Federal Law proposes to denounce the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, signed on behalf of the Russian Federation in Strasbourg on February 28, 1996 and ratified by the Russian Federation on June 18, 1998," reads the explanatory note to the bill introduced by the President of the Russian Federation on Friday.

It notes that the resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of September 27, 2022 "significantly limited the powers of the Russian expert in the Advisory Committee established to monitor the implementation by the States parties to the Framework Convention of their obligations in the field of protection of national minorities." "In addition, the Russian Federation has lost, within the framework of this monitoring mechanism, the opportunity to participate in the development of decisions on issues of interest and to monitor at the international level cases of violations of the rights of national minorities, primarily the Russian-speaking population abroad," the document says.

"Taking into account the fact that the termination of participation in this international treaty will avoid discriminatory treatment of the Russian Federation within the framework of this monitoring mechanism of the Council of Europe and will not harm the observance of the rights of national minorities, it is proposed to denounce the Framework Convention," the explanatory note to Bill 448293-8 says.