PACE approves idea of expanding OSCE SMM's mandate to Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has expressed support for the proposal of Germany and France to monitor the situation in the Kerch Strait by foreign experts. The corresponding resolution "The escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security" was adopted at the PACE winter session in Strasbourg, - UNIAN reports.

103 parliamentarians voted for the document, 3 against and 16 abstained.

"The Assembly supports the proposal made by Germany and France that observers from a third country are observing the passage of ships and ensuring the freedom of navigation in the Kerch Strait", - the resolution says.

The document expresses support for the proposal of the European Parliament that the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, which covers the entire territory of Ukraine, including territorial waters, should include "a new area of tension in and around the Sea of Azov".

The Assembly also calls on the member states of the Council of Europe to do everything possible to avoid further escalation of violence with potentially dangerous consequences for security throughout the region.