Democratic decision in Brexit referendum must be respected: Council of Europe

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Pedro Agramunt, lamented here on Friday the repercussions on the European project that would arise from UK's leaving from the EU.

"A bit of the European ideal has disappeared today following the British vote in favor of leaving the Union," declared Agramunt.

"The vote will have repercussions not only for the British people but also for all the European peoples. It will have a negative impact not only on the European Union but also on all the international organizations, such as the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly," declared the PACE president to the representatives of the 47 member states of the CoE on the closing day of its summer plenary session.

"However, sometimes it is necessary to take a step backwards in order to take a step forward. It will be necessary to find the means to give a new momentum to the interparliamentary dialogue in Europe, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in which the United Kingdom remains a major player, will need to intensify its efforts to achieve European ideals and affirm our shared European heritage," he continued.

In a statement, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, affirmed that the "democratic decision in this referendum must be respected." Endit