In the current political realities, Ukraine should maintain contacts with Russia, and not ignore Moscow. This opinion was expressed by the new head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Elizaveta Yasko. In an interview with LB.ua, she emphasized that this is necessary to understand the situation.
“I am a political scientist, I have always been interested in politics. But I need to feel and understand what is happening in the world, so to refuse to communicate with Russians is, I think, wrong. We cannot ignore Russia. We must protect our interests, but know what is happening, ”she said.
The 28-year-old parliamentarian from the presidential party “Servant of the People” assured reporters that she knows how to communicate with representatives of the Russian delegation to PACE. According to her, at one time she had experience communicating with representatives of the Russian Federation while studying at Oxford and Moscow State University. Lomonosov.
“If you ask how I can work on a par with the Russians, it doesn’t scare me at all ... In my life I shot three documentaries about the KGB, talked to a huge number of Russian diplomats and politicians. And I also studied in Moscow - there is such a page in my biography ... I know how to communicate with these people, ”Yasko said.
At the same time, the head of the delegation supported Kiev’s decision to refuse to participate in the autumn session of PACE, explaining it as a disagreement with the “unfair process of Moscow’s return” to the assembly. However, the Verkhovna Rada deputy noted that she would go to Strasbourg as a guest and would talk with representatives of other countries on the sidelines. She also admitted that the event could be attended by members of the old Ukrainian delegation to PACE.
“When Russia was returned to PACE, a crisis of confidence arose. And this is not just a question that is connected with Ukraine, it is a question of the legitimacy and morality of the rules of this organization. The Ukrainian side does not agree with double standards, ”Yasko added.
Recall that on September 23, Kiev officially refused the participation of the delegation in the autumn session in PACE due to the restoration of the rights of the Russian delegation. Then the head of the P office, State Duma Vice-Speaker Petr Tolstoy noted that there are contradictions between Ukraine’s desire to reform PACE and the refusal to participate in its work.
“The Ukrainian delegation has officially confirmed its refusal to participate in the autumn session of PACE. At the same time, our colleagues from Kiev speak of their desire to return to this international platform “a reputation as an important example of democracy, the rule of law and the protection of human rights in Europe” ... It’s a kind of contradiction, because refusing a constructive dialogue only slows down the decision-making process, ”he leads TASS words.
Moreover, Tolstoy emphasized that Ukraine still has unresolved issues related to the violation of the rights of Russian and Russian-speaking citizens, the difficult humanitarian situation and the observance of human rights in general, which requires urgent intervention.
“These problems require urgent solutions, and precious time is running out while the Ukrainian leadership is engaged in blackmail and populism, avoiding direct dialogue. It’s a pity, ”Tolstoy stated.
Note that the work of the autumn session of PACE will begin on Monday, September 30, and will last until Friday, October 4. The key issues on the agenda will be the protection of victims of terrorism and awareness, the unification of standards for ombudsman institutions, labor migration in Eastern Europe and a number of other problems.
- Head of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE Elizaveta Yasko
- © Lisa Yasko
“For pragmatic reasons”
According to experts, the theses expressed by Yasko reflect the position of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Thus, Igor Shatrov, deputy director of the National Institute for the Development of Modern Ideology, recalled that in a recent conversation, US President Donald Trump called on Zelensky to develop a dialogue with Russia.
“It seems to me that the deputy who represents the interests of the“ Servants of the People ”just made this statement to show that Zelensky had listened to Trump and would act in the way he was recommended. But so that this does not look like direct submission, this statement was made not by Zelensky, but by a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, ”Shatrov believes.
According to the analyst, Ukraine has an understanding that Europe seeks to restore pragmatic relations with Russia, and therefore Kiev hopes to gradually move away from the policy of counteracting Moscow.
“The current political establishment of Ukraine understands that Europeans will sooner or later begin to build relations with Russia based on pragmatic considerations,” the source said. “I think that Ukraine wants to gently“ jump out ”of the confrontation with Russia, but to make it so that others are responsible for it.”
Moreover, such statements could be an attempt by Kiev to overcome a series of foreign policy failures, including the refusal of the Ukrainian delegation to work in PACE, political analyst Ivan Mezyuho admitted.
“I think the office of the Ukrainian president is aware that over the past months, Ukraine has experienced one foreign policy failure after another,” he told RT. “I think that the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine will try to somewhat mitigate the failures of recent months, including in the issue of the participation of Ukrainian parliamentarians in PACE structures.”
The political scientist also emphasized that in order to build a dialogue with Moscow, Kiev needs to abandon anti-Russian rhetoric, which has not yet happened.
“To carry out such a dialogue, there must be a clear understanding on the part of the Ukrainian state, while Zelensky uses anti-Russian rhetoric in the same way as Poroshenko. Therefore, all the same, I would not say that Ukraine Zelensky went to establish a dialogue with the Russian Federation, ”the expert said.
Restoration of the Russian delegation in rights
The Russian delegation to PACE was fully restored in its rights on June 26. 116 parliamentarians voted for this decision, 62 voted against and 15 abstained. The Ukrainian delegation strongly opposed the return of Russia to the assembly, leaving the meeting room.
In Russia, the decision to reinstate the delegation was praised as it allows representing the country's interests in Strasbourg.
“The word“ victory ”is inappropriate in this case because we are not at war with anyone, but this is an opportunity to fully represent our country's interests in the oldest parliamentary organization in Europe, an opportunity to end with Ukrainian propaganda, is, first of all, breaking the sanctions chain, which our ill-wishers try to forge around Russia, ”Tolstoy emphasized.
At the same time, the deputy head of the delegation Sergey Kislyak noted that Russia has a willingness to work on the agenda of the assembly. We add that Russia paid almost all the debt for 2017 and 2018 to the Council of Europe. It was formed due to the fact that Moscow refused to work in PACE due to the infringement of the rights of its delegation and to transfer funds in connection with this.
“I can confirm that the money for 2018 and 2017 (€ 54.7 million) was 97% transferred as of this morning,” spokesman for the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Daniel Holtgen said in early September.