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No more Council of Europe with Russia: Moscow resigns from the organization
Photo: Dwi Anoraganingrum / imago images / Future Image
According to its own statements, Russia will leave the Council of Europe.
»The decision to withdraw from the Council of Europe has been made.
The corresponding letter from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was handed over to the Secretary General of the organization," said the head of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council, Pyotr Tolstoy, according to the Interfax agency.
"Russia voluntarily withdraws from the Council of Europe, this is a balanced and well-considered decision."
As a spokesman for the Council of Europe announced in Strasbourg, the Secretary General had received formal notification of his resignation and information from the Russian Federation about the intention to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Council of Europe monitors compliance with human rights in its 47 member states and is not part of the EU.
The Council of Europe had previously suspended Russia over its war of aggression against Ukraine.
This decision was considered historic.
As a result, Moscow announced last Thursday that as a reaction it no longer wanted to participate in the work of the committee.
"Russia will not participate in the transformation of Europe's oldest organization by NATO and its obedient EU into another platform for Western domination and narcissism," the Foreign Ministry said.
Russia repeatedly complains of alleged discrimination.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government had called for Russia's permanent expulsion from the Council of Europe.
hba/dpa/AFP
