Russia is still an active Member-State of both the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization. The Russian Parliament has neither considered nor voted on an initiative to withdraw the membership from the two major global organizations, nor has such a thing been announced for the upcoming, writes Truthmeter.mk.
A post on the social network Facebook claims that Russia is withdrawing its membership from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). This is not true. Russia is a Member-State of these international organizations and has taken no concrete steps to leave them.
Russia is withdrawing from the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization.
Full reconstruction of the United Nations and an end to the Anglo-Saxon hegemony follows.
If not by will, then by force they will comply… claims the post.
The post falsely claims that Russia is withdrawing from the two major international organizations, accompanied by an attached print-screen from a press-release of the prestigious media outlet Politico. The print-screen is accurate, i.e. the photo has not been manipulated and Politico has indeed published an article with such a headline.
The manipulation lies in the publication date. This Politico article was published on 18th May 2022, or more than a year ago. The print-screen attached to the post subject of this fact-check, does not reveal the publication date of the original text thereby manipulating social media users that the news is indeed new and that the withdrawal is currently happening.
The article published in Politico is, in actual fact, a statement from the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Parliament, Pyotr Tolstoy, who said – in May 2022 – that the Lower House of the Russian Parliament, the National Duma, was planning to discuss the country’s potential withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
We have been tasked to review our international commitments and agreements that currently are of no benefit, and even cause direct harm to our country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a list of such agreements to the State Duma and together with the Federation Council [Upper Chamber of the Parliament] we are planning to reevaluate them and then propose a withdrawal, said Tolstoy last year.
In the same Politico article below, an interview with the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, was conducted. He, apparently, asked the Russian Foreign Ministry about its potential withdrawal and was told that “the Russian position is quite the opposite.” The Ministry told Kluge that Russia’s intention is to cooperate with the WHO and “has not sent to the Parliament any proposal for withdrawing from the WHO”.
Two weeks later, the Russian News Agency TASS reported that the Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, addressing the Members of the State Duma stated that “It was unreasonable for Russia to withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO)”.
It took us a very long time – almost 16 years – to enter the organization. It is a big challenge to calculate the outcome in relation to the value. We also protect our industry using all possible means that need to be applied within the civilized rules considered the WTO. I do not think that it is reasonable to withdraw today, because we have already adapted to those conditions, he said responding to a question from one of the MPs.
“Russia will not initiate a withdrawal from the World Trade Organization (WTO), while the excommunication from the organization is legally impossible”, said the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Pankin a few days later.
This is not for discussion. We deliberately entered the organization because of the benefits we expected and received, and we will not slam the door shut, said Pankin for the reporters on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum in Sankt Petersburg responding to a journalist’s question.
Almost 14 months after Politico’s publication, i.e after the statement given by the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Duma, Russia is still an active member-state in both World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization. The Russian Parliament neither considered, nor voted on an initiative to withdraw the country from the two major world organizations, nor was such a thing announced in the upcoming period.
Truthmeter classifies this post as untrue. Russia is not withdrawing from neither the World Health Organization nor the World Trade Organization, and remains an active Member-State.
