[lg policy] Moscow will raise Russian language issue if returns to PACE

[Harold Schiffman]

Moscow will raise Russian language issue if returns to PACE
Russian Politics & Diplomacy <http://tass.com/politics>
May 31, 14:19UTC+3
Chairman of the Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin
Kosachev mentioned Russia's relations with Ukraine and the Baltics in this
regard, as "they have been reduced to the minimum"
Share
<http://tass.com/politics/1061148>
© EPA/RAINER JENSEN

MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. If Moscow returns to the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe (PACE), it will bring up the situation surrounding
the Russian language in some countries, Chairman of the Russian Federation
Council (the upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee
Konstantin Kosachev said at a press conference ahead of the Fifth
International Humanitarian Livadia Forum, set to take place in Yalta on
June 4-5.

"As for the policy towards the Russian language in some countries, we need
to know if attempts to prevent its use and hinder Russian-language
education have become part of those countries’ policies. It they have, it
will certainly influence our bilateral relations with those countries," the
senior Russian senator pointed out.

In this regard, Kosachev mentioned Ukraine and the Baltic states. "Let us
assess the current state of Russia’s relations with these countries. They
have been reduced to the minimum, which particularly affects trade and
economic projects. There is no doubt about that," he said.

The senator pointed out that Russia raised the issue on all international
platforms where it was active. "In particular, regular discussions of the
issue take place within the OSCE and the Council of Europe. If and when
Russia’s delegation resumes its activities in the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe, we will definitely bring this issue up once again
and try to make sure that it remains in the organization’s focus," Kosachev
emphasized.
Russia and the Council of Europe

Following Crimea’s 2014 reunification with Russia, the country’s delegation
to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was stripped
of its key rights, including the right to vote, over the situation in
Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia. In response, Russia
suspended its participation in PACE’s activities and the payment of its
contribution to the Council of Europe.

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland aid on October 10,
2018, that Russia’s membership in the Committee of Ministers and the
Parliamentary Assembly might be suspended starting from June 2019 due to
non-payment of monetary contributions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov said in response that Moscow would quit the Council of Europe if
opposing member states called for expelling Russia


More:
http://tass.com/politics/1061148

-- 
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

-------------------------------------------------
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20190601/e525384b/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list