CoE Committee of Ministers suspends Russia's membership - Tolstoy

MOSCOW. Feb 25 (Interfax) - The Council of Europe (CoE) Committee of Ministers has decided to suspend Russia's membership, the head of Russia's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the State Duma's deputy speaker Pyotr Tolstoy, said.

"The CoE Committee of Ministers has refused to cooperate with Russia by suspending our country's membership in this organization," Tolstoy was quoted by his press service as stating.

He criticized the decision, saying that without Russia the CoE's work was pointless.

"Russia will remain the biggest European country, without which no council of Europe is simply possible or necessary. For there will be no truth in it," Tolstoy said.

The Russian delegation was honest and tried to maintain the dialogue to the last, he said. Whether that dialogue resumes will depend on the CoE, he said.

"We Russians are not going to change ourselves," Tolstoy said.