Russia no longer a member of the Council of Europe as of March 16 - CoE website

BRUSSELS. March 16 (Interfax) - The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) has decided that Russia is no longer a CoE member as of March 16, 2022, a statement published on the CoE website on Wednesday said.

"In an extraordinary meeting this morning, the Committee of Ministers decided, in the context of the procedure launched under Article 8 of the Statute of the Council of Europe, that the Russian Federation is no longer a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership," the statement said.

The decision on Russia's withdrawal from the Council of Europe has been made, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's relevant letter has been sent to the CoE secretary general, State Duma Deputy Speaker and head of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Pyotr Tolstoy said on Tuesday.

Later on Tuesday, PACE representatives spoke unanimously in favor of Russia leaving the Council of Europe.