Moscow, Mar 10 (IANS): Russia has left the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights organisation, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow announced on Thursday.

In a statement, the Ministry said that the European Union and NATO countries "are using their absolute majority in the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to continue the destruction of the Council of Europe and the common humanitarian and legal space" on the continent, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Ministry stressed that Russia will not tolerate actions by the West to impose its own "rules-based order" and trample on international law.

The country will not participate in efforts to turn the organization "into another platform for preaching about Western superiority and for grandstanding", it added.

"Let them enjoy each other's company without Russia," the statement added.

The Council of Europe is the continent's leading human rights organisation with 47 member states.

Twenty-seven members are from the EU. Russia joined the council in February 1996 as its 39th member.