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Russian FM: Council of Europe should act without double standards

Selective approaches diminish trust among the Council's members in a current uneasy situation on the continent

© EPA/RAINER JENSEN

MOSCOW, February 24. /TASS/. The Council of Europe (CE) should act without double standards and selective approaches, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

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"In a current uneasy situation on our continent, we consider it important for the Council of Europe to function without ‘double standards’ and selective approaches that undermine the basic principles, to facilitate overcoming the deficit of trust," Lavrov wrote in an address to CE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland on the occasion of 20th anniversary of Russia’s membership in the Council of Europe.

"The activities of the Council are in demand in the sphere of human rights, including protection of national minorities and elimination of mass statelessness, in fighting extremism, aggressive nationalism, racial and religiuos intolerance, in developing youth cooperation, inter-cultural dialogue and preserving Europe’s civilizational identity," Lavrov added.

The Russian foreign minister expressed hope that "by joint efforts, we will be able to strengthen the role of the Council of Europe as one of the pillars of European architecture, fully use its significant potential in the interests of creating a common economic and humanitarian space from the Atlantic to the Pacific, basing it on the principle of equal and indivisible security." "Russia will promote it in every possible way," he noted.

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