2024-07-05 01:20:53
This decision was jointly announced by both chambers of parliament – the State Duma and the Federation Council.
The statement to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly criticizes “biased discriminatory approach, double standards, total Russophobia and unpreparedness for meaningful discussion, including on such pressing issues as guaranteeing equal and indivisible security”.
Valentina Matviyenko, the chairman of the upper house of the Russian parliament – the Federation Council – instructed the foreign affairs committee to immediately send a telegram about this decision to the session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which is taking place in Romania these days. Russian MPs called Romania’s refusal to issue visas to members of the Russian delegation to participate in the session the “last point” in the current situation.
The annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place in Bucharest this time from June 29 to July 3, but Russian representatives could not attend it, because Romania, taking into account Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, refused to issue them visas for entering the country.
The Russian delegation has previously refused to participate in at least two sessions of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly – in the fall of 2023 in Yerevan and in the winter of 2024 in Vienna, RBC reports, referring to the assembly’s secretariat. Russian MPs also did not participate in the assembly sessions in Great Britain and Canada in 2022 and 2023, respectively, because they had problems with obtaining visas.
In July 2023, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly recognized Russia as a sponsor of terrorism, taking into account its involvement in the financing of the “Wagner” mercenary gang, and in February 2023, the Russian delegation was sharply criticized for undermining civil rights, media freedom and fair elections.
2024-07-05 01:20:53