European Council threatens to exclude Russia
Russia could be expelled from the Council of Europe if it continues to fail to pay its contributions to the organization's budget by mid-2019, Secretary General Richard Thorbjorn Jagland said.
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| A session of the European Council. Illustration photo |
According to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (PACE), Russia has not paid its contribution for two years to the basis for sanctions.
"We absolutely cannot accept that a country remains here without paying its contributions. No one can accept the 'half-membership' format. This would be a disaster for the entire organization," — Secretary General Jagland asserted.
If Russia leaves the organization, Mr Jagland plans to adopt a revised version of the Council of Europe budget.
In 2014, Russia's representatives were stripped of some of their powers in PACE due to their stance on the Crimea issue. Moscow declared that it was impossible to work under such conditions, stopped participating in meetings and did not submit documents to recognize the delegation's membership since 2016.