PACE rapporteurs to visit Russia on a monitoring mission

The new PACE monitoring co-rapporteurs for Russia, Andreas Gross and Gyorgy Frunda, will pay a visit to Moscow on Monday to assess how the country is honoring its commitments to the Council of Europe.

The new PACE monitoring co-rapporteurs for Russia, Andreas Gross and Gyorgy Frunda, will pay a visit to Moscow on Monday to assess how the country is honoring its commitments to the Council of Europe.

Russia is among ten Council of Europe members subject to the Parliamentary Assembly's monitoring procedure, which includes monitoring missions by the Assembly's officials.

"[The co-rapporteurs] will hold an exchange of views with the Russian authorities and political forces on this question, and make a preliminary political evaluation of the situation," PACE said on its website.

Though the rules of procedure state that such missions should not be held more often than once in two years, the last similar visit was made in March 2009.

A similar monitoring visit will be paid to Georgia on Monday by Matyas Eorsi and Kastriot Islami, who will hold "talks on constitutional and electoral reform, the forthcoming local elections and media freedom, as well as minority issues."

MOSCOW, March 22 (RIA Novosti)