Russian parliamentarians were allowed to travel to the European Union (EU) for the first time since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, to take part in a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday.
The issuance of nine visas, including six granted to people on the EU sanctions list, aroused the discomfort of Ukraine, which decided to boycott this parliamentary assembly, like Lithuania.
“How can we accept the presence of people who legitimize war crimes? It is an insult to the Ukrainian victims,” the Kiev diplomacy said indignantly, quoted in a statement that was read at the opening of the debates by Peter Osusky, head of the the Slovak delegation.
“They are only there to defend their agenda, justify the war and discredit the rule of law,” argued Ukrainian diplomacy.
In the room were Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy chairman of the Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, and the other deputies.
At the two previous meetings, which took place in the UK and Poland last year, Russian members were not granted visas.
This time, however, Austria, a neutral country that hosts many international organizations, claimed to be bound by an “international agreement” with this body, which is based in its capital, to authorize the presence of the Russian delegation.
The President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Margareta Cederfelt, defended this decision, which was criticized by parliamentarians from 20 countries.
“Let’s be clear: allowing dialogue does not mean providing a platform for propaganda and justifications for war,” Cederfelt told participants gathered on the grounds of the former Habsburg imperial palace, which journalists were not allowed access to. .
The OSCE justified the unprecedented restrictions on media coverage of today’s proceedings, saying they had nothing to do with fears that Russia would use the meeting as a propaganda platform on the eve of the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
“We are not afraid that Russian propaganda will be used, or misused in our meeting. Not at all. It is just a logistical problem,” said Roberto Montella, secretary general of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Montella insisted that the decision to restrict journalists’ access to the building that houses the forum was due to the high number of reporters, something unusual in this type of meeting of delegates from OSCE member countries.
“Actually it is the first time (restrictions have been applied), but we have never had this problem, because we usually ask for media attention,” Montella argued.
Regarding the presence of Russian deputies at the meeting, the Chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly added that “this could be an opportunity to defend Ukraine.”
Cederfelt took the opportunity to criticize the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying that this hostile act is “transporting the European region into the abyss of uncertainty” and adding that the OSCE must serve to defend peace, to criticize some of the deputies “who prefer contribute to the destruction”.
The OSCE, which has 57 member states, was created in 1975, at the height of the Cold War, with the aim of promoting East-West relations.
However, its operation has been paralyzed since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, with Russia blocking several important decisions.
In the OSCE Rules there is no legal basis for excluding a member state or for changing the rules, which are based on the principle of consensus.
Source: TSF
