ANKARA, February 26. /TASS/. Turkey abstained from voting on Russia’s suspension from the Council of Europe on Friday as it calls for dialogue under any circumstances, a source familiar with the situation told TASS on Saturday.

"We don’t want dialogue to stop. Turkey abstained from voting on the decision. No matter what happens, we call for dialogue under any circumstances," the source pointed out.

According to a statement issued by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the committee "decided to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly with immediate effect as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed attack on Ukraine." The decision means that Russia "remains a member of the Council of Europe and party to the relevant Council of Europe conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights."

The council stripped Russia’s delegation of the right to vote and take part in the monitoring missions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and PACE’s governing bodies. Russia resumed full-fledged participation in the organization in 2019.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Channel One that the move to suspend Russia marked the end of the organization.