Russia’s role in the escalation of tensions in the Republic of Moldova will be debated in the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The debate will take place on April 24. The discussions will involve MPs Ion Groza, who heads the national delegation to the PACE, Mihail Popșoi, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and Natalia Davidovici, IPN reports.

According to the Moldovan Parliament’s press service, the PACE will also discuss the situation of Ukrainian citizens, including children who were taken by force to Russia or to the Ukrainian territory controlled by Russia. The First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska will take part in discussions online.

The agenda of the PACE spring session includes debates on the political strategies for preventing and preparing for natural disasters and for alleviating the consequences of these and on the protection of democracy, rights and environment in international trade. The participants will discuss the implementation of ECHR judgments, provisions of the European Convention of Human Rights and of national constitutions. The youth and the mass media are among the items on the agenda.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is one of the two statutory organs of the Council of Europe. It is made up of 324 parliamentarians from the national parliaments of the Council of Europe’s 46 member states, and generally meets four times a year for a week-long plenary session in Strasbourg. The spring session will take place in Strasbourg on April 24-28.