Russia, 25 years after joining the Council of Europe (CE), is committed to actively developing cooperation, in particular in the areas of combating coronavirus, artificial intelligence, ecology, and biotechnology. So the rumors about the country's possible withdrawal from the organization were commented on by the permanent representative of Russia to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Ivan Soltanovsky, reports TASS.
“The media regularly circulate rumors that have no real basis that Russia will soon withdraw from the Council of Europe. Such escalation of the situation does not benefit the common cause, ”he stressed.
Soltanovsky assured that “despite the pandemic and the desires of Russophobes,” Russia continues to defend its national interests, including on European international platforms. “The key to success is confidence in one's own righteousness, calmness and an over-the-horizon vision of prospects,” the diplomat explained.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Pyotr Tolstoy warned that Russia could be removed from the Council of Europe due to refusal to comply with the requirement of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to release the founder of the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK, included by the Ministry of Justice in register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent) Alexei Navalny.
On February 17, the ECHR demanded that Navalny be released from custody. The appeal was filed on January 20, even before the replacement of the suspended sentence in the Yves Rocher case with a real one. It was formulated on the basis of the 39th rule of the ECtHR regulation, according to which interim measures are a prohibition to the state of actions that may cause significant damage to the life and health of the applicant, or an instruction to the state to do something to avoid such damage.
The oppositionist was detained on January 17 at Sheremetyevo airport upon his return from Germany, where he was undergoing treatment. On February 2 of this year, Navalny's suspended sentence was changed to a real one after the Federal Penitentiary Service announced numerous violations of the suspended sentence.
