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Denouncing Council of Europe pact won’t affect Russia’s fight on corruption — diplomat

Oleg Syromolotov said Russia had ratified the UN convention in its entirety, without any exceptions, in 2006 and remains a party to it

MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Russia’s ability to fight corruption won’t be limited after the country denounced a Council of Europe convention that criminalizes corrupt practices, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told TASS in an interview.

The deputy minister said that the denunciation of the document will not erase the colossal work that’s already been done by Russia in the field of combating corruption, and the implemented provisions of the convention will remain part of the country's legal system.

"Withdrawal from one treaty also does not mean withdrawal from the global anti-corruption political and legal space, which is formed, first of all, by the universal UN Convention against Corruption. <... > Thus, the denunciation of the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption will not limit our opportunities here," Syromolotov said.

The senior diplomat said Russia had ratified the UN convention in its entirety, without any exceptions, in 2006 and remains a party to it. "This year, by the way, marks the 20th anniversary of the opening for the signing of this key international treaty. The UNCAC, along with other agreements that are in force for our country, constitutes a solid legal basis for cooperation with foreign states, in particular in matters of mutual legal assistance and extradition," he added.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law denouncing the Council of Europe’s Criminal Law Convention on Corruption by the Russian side. The treaty had been signed in Strasbourg on January 27, 1999. Russia ratified it in July 2006. On January 9, 2023, Putin submitted to the State Duma a bill on the denunciation of the convention, and the lawmakers adopted it on February 15.

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan