German Foreign Office in Berlin. File photoBERLIN, March 16 The German Foreign Ministry welcomes the results of the vote in PACE calling on the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to demand the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the organization, consider this «a necessary step in protecting values.» PACE previously voted for the conclusion with an appeal to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to demand the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the organization. 216 PACE deputies voted for the draft conclusion, none voted against, three abstained.
"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted in an unprecedented vote to exclude Russia. The exclusion of Russia is a necessary step in protecting our values. With its brutal attack on Ukraine, Russia is trampling on the core values of the Council of Europe. Russia has emerged from a common canon of values, consisting of human rights and international law. Russia has been violating its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights for years,» said Anna Luhrmann, State Secretary of the German Foreign Ministry, as quoted by the ministry's press service.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia was officially withdrawing from the Council of Europe. The corresponding notification of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov was handed over to the leadership of the organization. The department noted that this decision will not affect the rights and freedoms of Russians. In addition, the implementation of already adopted judgments of the European Court of Human Rights will continue, «if they do not contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation». Council of Europe, Kosachev said Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» bloody crimes against civilians» of Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. With the support of the Russian Armed Forces, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive, but there is no talk of the occupation of Ukraine, the Russian president emphasized. Russia should not be a member of the Council of Europe