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Kremlin spells out what Russia’s withdrawal from Council of Europe means

According to Dmitry Peskov, the withdrawal from the Council of Europe clearly means a withdrawal from all of its mechanisms

MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Russia’s decision to stop participating in the Council of Europe spells the country’s withdrawal from all of its institutions, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement earlier on Thursday that Russia would no longer participate in the Council of Europe because NATO and European Union countries, hostile to Moscow, continued to pursue a policy to undermine the organization and the common humanitarian and legal space in Europe.

"It’s not actually my job to comment on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statements, you’ll agree. So, you should direct the question to the Foreign Ministry. However, the withdrawal from the Council of Europe clearly means a withdrawal from all of its mechanisms," the Kremlin spokesman specified, when asked if Russia’s exit from the Council of Europe would also mean the country’s withdrawal from all of its institutions, including the European Court of Human Rights.

Peskov also forwarded the question about the conditions under which Russia could return to the council to the Foreign Ministry.