Exchange of views between the PACE leadership and representatives of Russian democratic forces

20/03/2023 President

The leadership of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held an exchange of views with representatives of Russian democratic forces today in Paris, to step up dialogue and to explore ways of co-operating with the Assembly in future.

The meeting was a practical follow-up to several PACE resolutions, in which it repeatedly called for “developing its engagement with Russian civil society, human rights defenders, independent journalists, academia and democratic forces respecting the values and principles of the Organisation, including the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

Representing Russian democratic forces were:

• Natalia Arno, President of the Free Russia Foundation
• Dmitriy Gudkov, Russian Anti-War Committee / Russian Action Committee
• Gennady Gudkov, Public Movement “For a Free Russia”
• Sergei Guriev, Russian Anti-War Committee / True Russia Project / Anti-Corruption Foundation
• Evgenia Kara-Murza, Free Russia Foundation
• Garry Kasparov, Free Russia Forum / Russian Action Committee / Russian Anti-War Committee
• Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russian Anti-War Committee / Russian Action Committee

The PACE Presidential Committee was represented by:

• Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
• George Papandreou, Vice-Chairperson of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens group (SOC)
• Aleksander Pociej, Chairperson of the group of the European People's Party (EPP/CD)
• Zsolt Németh, Vice-Chairperson of the European Conservatives and Democratic Alliance (EC/DA)
• Iulian Bulai, Chairperson of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
• George Loucaides, Treasurer of the group of the Unified European Left (UEL)
• Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

The participants agreed to pursue this dialogue.