The United Nations World Tourism Organisation said on Wednesday that Russia had decided to quit the international agency just as its member states were preparing to vote on Russia's suspension over its invasion of Ukraine, APA reports citing Reuters.
A UNWTO spokesman said that despite Russia's withdrawal, the assembly would still suspend it as that move would have immediate effects while the formal pull-out process would take a year to complete.
Zurab Pololikashvili, the secretary-general of the Madrid-based UNWTO, said earlier he hoped members would vote to suspend Russia and show an example to other international organizations.
A two-thirds majority of 160 total member states must back the suspension, which would only have symbolic consequences for Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the decision to quit the UNWTO would not affect the country's tourism.
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