Russia denounces this Saturday a “provocative” decision after Poland’s refusal to allow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to enter its territory for an OSCE ministerial meeting.
“Poland’s decision (…) is provocative and unprecedented,” Russian diplomacy said in a statement.
“Warsaw has not only discredited itself in this way, but has caused irreparable damage to the authority of the entire Organization” for security and cooperation in Europe, the statement said.
Refusal to include “EU sanctioned persons”
Poland, which hosts the OSCE ministerial meeting in early December, announced on Friday that it had denied Sergei Lavrov entry into its territory.
“We hope that the Russian Federation will choose the members of its delegation in accordance with current regulations,” a source from this annual rotating presidency, which is currently held by Warsaw, told AFP.
According to her, the Russian delegation should not “include people sanctioned by the European Union” after the Russian offensive in Ukraine launched on February 24, including Sergei Lavrov.
“We are convinced that all reasonable politicians share the opinion of the Russian side that such actions are unacceptable,” Russian diplomacy reacted. “These destructive decisions by the Poles (…) are pushing the OSCE towards the abyss,” she said, accusing the Organization of becoming a “ground” for “anti-Russian exercises.”
An organization created in 1975
The meeting of the 57 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will take place on December 1 and 2 in Lodz, a city in central Poland. The Russian delegation will be headed by the Russian ambassador to the OSCE, Alexander Lukashevich, according to Moscow.
Since its creation in 1975 at the height of the Cold War to promote East-West dialogue, the OSCE has had its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. The OSCE annual ministerial meeting, in which Sergei Lavrov usually participates, is the central body of this international body, responsible for its decisions.
It is an opportunity for Foreign Ministers to review the work of the OSCE in all its fields of activity.
Source: BFM TV
