OREANDA-NEWS. Russia is ready to return to the Council of Europe a debt of € 60 million, which came over two years of non-payment. Such a sum was named by a diplomatic source familiar with the situation.

The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, said that this would happen when the Parliamentary Assembly eliminated the threat of further discrimination against national delegations.“In this case, Russia will be ready not only to pay its annual contribution, but also to recover the debt that has accumulated over the past two years. This is our official position, and I can only welcome it, ”said the senator. According to Kosachev, the Council of Europe needs reform, thanks to which every delegation should have a guaranteed voting right. 

A French deputy to the Council of Europe Olivier Becht said that Russia should return to the Assembly and be able to elect the Secretary General of the Council and the judges of the ECHR. “However, at the same time, Moscow should give positive signals on the solution of the Ukrainian crisis. This country occupies a key place in Europe, and therefore it must fulfill its duties according to its role, ”says Becht.

In January, the spokesman for the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Daniel Holtgen, called just such a sum, commenting on Russia's debt to the Council of Europe. At the same time, his comment followed after this figure on the fields of the World Economic Forum in Davos, said the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland Timo Soini.

In the period from 2016 to 2018, Moscow didn't send the necessary documents for the accreditation of delegations to the session, and also ceased to pay contributions. Russia extended its decision to 2019.