Moscow, Mar 16 (IANS): The Council of Europe without Russia loses its meaning, the organisation has only one way out - to dissolve itself. This was stated by Speaker of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin.

"The Council of Europe is losing its meaning. All the last time he devoted to Russia, its criticism, condemnation, pressure, appeals and resolutions. Without our country, colleagues from the Council of Europe will have nothing to do. There is only one way out - to dissolve itself", he said, RT reported.

Volodin added that after leaving the council, Russia intends to pay more attention to bilateral relations.

The Council of Europe has become a NATO propaganda tool. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

"A long time ago everything turned to dust and decay in the Council of Europe. This organisation has become just an instrument of NATO propaganda, I did not make a reservation now. We have repeatedly spoken about this, it was the structures of the alliance and the member states of the alliance, through the appropriate mechanisms of NATO, that largely formed the agenda within the framework of the Council of Europe," she said.