French President Emmanuel Macron has said he fully supports Russia’s further work in the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly.
"I fully support the choice made in favor of letting Russia stay in the Council of Europe, because I am certain that the Russian people are close to European humanism. They participated in creating this humanism themselves," the French leader said at the PACE session, describing Russia as a "fundamentally European country."
Macron recalled that there exists criticism in relation to Russia, which "it is not unfounded". But what would’ve happened, had we done nothing?" TASS cited him as saying.
"You made a corresponding decision and I support it without any naivety," Macron told the PACE delegates.