Russia's presence and membership in the Council of Europe need to be preserved. Thorbjorn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe said that at a press briefing, as Yevropeiska Pravda quoted him.

According to Jagland, the decision to exclude this country from the Council is within the exclusive authority of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council.

'The member country remains here until the member countries decide otherwise. European Court for Human rights matters a lot to Russian citizens. I'm frightened about the very opportunity of Russia staying beyond the authority of the European Convention', the official said.

Earlier, Ukrainian diplomat Dmytro Kuleba stated that the Ukrainian government and PACE have fundamentally different views on Russia.

“He (Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland) confirmed that he is ready to work towards the return of Russian delegation to the assembly. I am not satisfied with his view because, on this matter, the views of Ukraine and the Secretary-General don’t correspond. Although we have positive examples of cooperation, too. But as to Russia, our views are fundamentally different,” he noted.