Russia has not paid the financial contribution for the current year to the Council of Europe

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maria Pejcinovic-Buric, said that the Russian Federation had not made a financial contribution to the Council of Europe, and the organization intends to study response measures in case the money is not received by June 2022.

We are talking about the first part of Russia’s annual membership fee. Secretary General of the Council of Europe says:

“Russia is legally bound to fulfill its financial obligations in accordance with our budget program calculated from 2022 to 2025. The first installment was due two weeks ago, but we have not received it. The full amount must be transferred before June.”

Marija Pejcinovic-Buric reported, informs TASS, that the organization will have to assess the consequences of Russia’s possible refusal to pay the membership fee for 2022. If events develop according to a similar scenario, then “necessary measures will be taken”:

“I am glad that a number of countries have already stated: the Council of Europe should not be punished financially because of the decision to suspend the powers of the Russian Federation as part of the organization.”

Let us recall that on March 10 of this year, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the refusal of the Russian Federation to participate in the Council of Europe. If such notification is made within the first 9 months, then termination of membership occurs at the end of the current financial year. That is, Russia remains a member of the organization until the end of 2022.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said: if Russia does not fully participate in the work of the Council of Europe, then you should not pay a fee, the publication reported. RIA News. Deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Alexander Grushko believes that in a situation where Moscow’s participation in the work of the CMCE and PACE was suspended, the contribution to the budget of the Council of Europe should not be paid. The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation stated:

“I want to say that this is such a political crossbow … It was decided to suspend Russia in the bodies of the Council of Europe, they said that this is a temporary decision, that it is reversible, and while we are in this position. Obviously, for the foreseeable future the situation will not improve. But again, everything will depend on the sanity of our partners. If they want to destroy the organization, and if Russia leaves it, then the Council of Europe will simply lose its existence.”

The Council of Europe is the oldest intergovernmental organization founded in 1949. Russia became a member of the Council of Europe, which puts cooperation in the field of human rights and democratic development as a priority goal, in 1996.

Russia is one of the main contributors to the organization’s budget. It contributes to the single budget of the Council of Europe (PACE, Committee of Ministers of Europe, ECtHR and other organizations) for two years in advance. Depending on the country’s GDP, the contribution ranges from 32 to 36 million euros.

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