02 July 2019, 17:57
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy signed a letter addressed to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Lilian Mori Pasquier as to withdrawing his invitation of international observers from PACE for the coming special parliamentary elections.
"Among the international observers there cannot be representatives of the aggressor country – Russia. They shall not be observers, but agents of Putin's hybrid war. Russia's influence upon the Ukrainian elections is in no way permissible," the Chairman of the Parliament explained.
The demarche letter runs:
“Taking into account the prevailing situation within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe regarding the return of the Russian parliamentary delegation to the Assembly without significant progress in the implementation of the seven PACE resolutions, I am forced to withdraw my invitation to international observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to supervise the special parliamentary elections in Ukraine (the letter dated June 12, 2019, No. 17 / 7-553 (112367) by the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine)».