Russia has been suspended from the Council of Europe, the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry, Luigi Di Maio, informed today.
Di Maio announced the decision to exclude Russia as the representative of Italy, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of Europe.
“Italy considers this a necessary step because of the unacceptable Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, which constitutes a serious violation of international law,” the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Council of Europe statement:
“In line with the Statute of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers has today decided to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly with immediate effect as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed attack on Ukraine.
The decision adopted today means that the Russian Federation 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 judge elected to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of the Russian Federation also remains a member of the Court, and applications introduced against the Russian Federation will continue to be examined and decided by the Court. Suspension is not a final measure but a temporary one, leaving channels of communication open.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe initiated the procedure for suspending Russia’s membership of the Council of Europe at the initiative of Ukraine and Poland.