Russia exits Council of Baltic Sea States: Foreign Ministry
- ‘Moscow will not participate in turning the organization into another platform for sabotage activities and western vanity,’ says the Russian ministry
Russia announced on Tuesday that it had decided to withdraw from the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), the state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"The states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union as part of the CBSS have abandoned equal dialogue and principles on which this regional organization was created, and are consistently turning it into an instrument of anti-Russian policy," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In March, the EU, Finland, Germany, Poland, and Sweden, among the 11 members of the council, suspended Russia's involvement in reaction to its invasion of Ukraine. Belarus was likewise removed from its observer status.
The council had taken "illegal and discriminatory decisions," according to a statement from Russia's foreign ministry.
“Russia will not participate in turning the organization into another platform for sabotage activities and ‘western vanity’," the ministry said.
The withdrawal from the CBSS will have no impact on Russia's presence in the Baltic area, according to the statement, and Moscow will continue to collaborate with partners and host events on vital regional development problems.
Picture Credits: TASS
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