MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. A draft statement of both chambers of Russia’s parliament on suspending the Russian delegation’s work in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has been submitted to the State Duma, a senior lawmaker said.
"The draft statement of the two chambers of the Federal Assembly on suspending the work of the Russian delegation to the OSCE PA has been submitted to the State Duma. We will propose to consider it at the plenary session on July 3 at the same time as the Federation Council," Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) parliamentary faction, told reporters.
According to Slutsky, the OSCE PA has turned from a platform for discussing security issues on the European continent into a mouthpiece for Russophobic politicians working on the agenda of the United States and NATO. "Russian lawmakers and senators have repeatedly been subjected to visa discrimination, when they were unjustifiably denied the right to enter the country to participate in Assembly sessions. This has been the case in the United Kingdom, Poland and - in the most recent illustrative case - Romania. The Russian delegation has been effectively deprived of the right to vote, and we cannot participate in the drafting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s decisions. In addition, we have been repeatedly subjected to unjustified attacks and open rudeness at the meetings of the Assembly," he added.
The senior lawmaker emphasized that under such conditions, the possibilities for dialogue are exhausted. "We declare the suspension of our work and the payment of all contributions to the OSCE PA. During this period, any actions to amend the rules of procedure of the Assembly aimed at harming the Russian delegation will be considered legally null and void," he added.
Slutsky pointed out that at the same time, "if the Russophobic line of the OSCE PA leadership is reconsidered and there is a will for constructive interaction, Russia reserves the right to consider the possibility of returning to this organization."
Russia’s deliberations on its OSCE PA participations
On June 19, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko instructed the State Duma’s Foreign Affairs Committee to prepare for the next plenary session on July 3 a draft decision of the chamber on the suspension of the Russian delegation's participation in the work of the OSCE PA. She pointed out that simultaneously with the decision on the suspension of participation in the work of the Assembly, a decision on the suspension of Russia’s payments to the OSCE PA would be adopted.
FIrst Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov said that in coordination with the State Duma, a similar decision to suspend Russia's participation in the OSCE PA "will be adopted almost synchronously at the plenary session of the lower house." According to him, then a general decision on this issue, signed by the leaders of both chambers of the Federal Assembly, will be sent to the OSCE PA chairman.
Earlier, Romanian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Radu Filip said that the Romanian authorities would not allow delegations from Russia and Belarus to participate in the annual session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The 31st annual session will be held in Bucharest from June 29 to July 3.