Russian Foreign Ministry announced the Kremlin's withdrawal from the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), affirming that its presence in the region would not be affected by the decision.
"Attempts to push our country away from the Baltic are doomed to fail. We will continue working with responsible partners, hold an event on key issues of development of the Baltic Region - our common heritage, we will continue to protect interests of our compatriots," the ministry announced in a statement on Tuesday.
"The current situation in the council is on the conscience of those who destroyed the foundations of this organization." The ministry noted, calling it "degrading".
"NATO and EU states within the Council rejected the equal dialogue and the principles that this Baltic regional structure was created upon, and they gradually turned the Council into an instrument of anti-Russian politics."
The ministry highlighted that "illegal and discriminatory decisions are being made in violation of the rule of consensus. Russia has been 'barred' from participation and projects of the Council, while Belarus has been 'suspended' as an observer."
In the same vein, Moscow claimed that Western states have "monopolized the Council in their own conjunctural goals", stressing that the Council is "sinking ever into Russophobia and lies."
"We consider the further presence of our country in the Council pointless and counterproductive. Russia will not participate in turning the organization into another platform for sabotage activities and 'western vanity,'" read the statement.
Last March, members of the council, which include Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden, as well as the European Union, opted to suspend Russia, saying Moscow’s “unprovoked and illegal war” against Ukraine was counter to the values and principles of the organization.
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