Employing Russian citizens in Council of Europe's institutions is unacceptable - Rinkevics

RIGA - Employing Russian citizens in Council of Europe's institutions is unacceptable, given that Russia has been expelled from the Council of Europe, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (New Unity) said today during a meeting with Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and Council of Europe Secretary-General Marija Pejcinovic-Buric.

As LETA was told at the Foreign Ministry, the meeting took place to reaffirm the readiness of the Latvian presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to work closely with the PACE in strengthening democracy and the rule of law, as well as to work on the implementation of the decisions taken at the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik. 

During the meeting Rinkevics expressed confidence that the Latvian presidency of the  Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers is committed to work to implement the decisions of the Reykjavik summit. Support for Ukraine and Russia's accountability will remain high on the Council of Europe's agenda. 

The minister noted that Latvia is among founding nations that initiated the creation of the Register of Damage to record evidence and claims information on damage, loss or injury caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Rinkevics emphasized that it necessary to make sure the Register of Damages works. 

The foreign minister said that the Latvian presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee is open to dialogue on all issues on the organization's agenda.