Russia has left another international organization

Russia has decided to withdraw from the Barents Euro-Arctic Council. Moscow motivates this decision by Helsinki’s refusal to transfer the right of betrayal in the organization, leading to the paralysis of the structure’s work

“Due to the fault of the Western members of the council (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, the EU), its activities have been virtually paralyzed since March 2022. The Finnish presidency did not confirm its readiness to transfer leadership of the BEAC to Russia in October 2023, in violation of the principle of rotation, disrupting the necessary preparatory measures,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary.

“Under the current conditions, we are forced to announce the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the BEAC. The corresponding message from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was sent on September 18, 2023 to the foreign ministers of the organization’s member countries, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as well as to the International Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes (Norway),” the ministry added.

The diplomatic department noted that Russia will continue to pursue its interests in the North.

Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Russia has withdrawn from many international organizations. In a number of cases, this was a response to the suspension of Moscow’s powers by these structures; in other situations, the decision was proactive and motivated by the “politicization” of associations. The Russian Federation is no longer a member of the Council of Europe, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the International Labor Association, the International Trade Union Confederation, the Human Rights Council and the World Tourism Organization.