VIENNA, February 15. /TASS/. An upsurge in anti-Semitic manifestations has been seen in European Union countries over the recent years. Russia urges the EU authorities to abide by their human rights commitments, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

"The problem of anti-Semitism persists," the Russian ambassador stressed at a session of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, noting that anti-Semitic manifestations have sharply grown in European Union countries.

He reminded the audience of statements by World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder, who lashed out at some EU countries during the Rome International Conference on the Responsibility of States, Institutions and Individuals in the Fight against Anti-Semitism in the OSCE Area on January 29.

"We urge the governments of the European Union and its member countries to closely monitor the situation at the local level and strictly abide by their international human rights commitments, including within the framework of the OSCE," Lukashevich said.

"Meanwhile, the specialized agencies of our organization, including the ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights), the high commissioner on national minorities and the representative on freedom of the media should offer necessary assistance to them," he summed up.