The Russian delegation to the Council of Europe announced on the 15th that Russia has decided to withdraw from the Council of Europe.
According to Interfax news agency, Pyotr Tolstoy, the deputy head of the Russian House of Representatives at PACE, said through his telegram channel on the same day that Russia was voluntarily leaving the CoE, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivered the decision to the CoE Secretary-General.
He argued that this was a balanced and well-thought-out decision and that the decision to leave was taken at the height of another anti-Russian discussion within the PACE.
He added that all responsibility for the severance of dialogue between Russia and the CoE rests with NATO countries, which have long used human rights issues to realize their geopolitical interests and to attack Russia.
Earlier last month, the CoE Ministerial Committee suspended Russias membership in the Ukraine crisis.
The CoE, in which 47 countries including Russia have participated so far, is an international organization in Europe that works for the protection of democracy and human rights. It was established after World War II.
[Photo Source: Yonhap News]
