UPDATE - Russian Lawmakers Denied Visas To Partake In OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - Senator

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2022) Russian lawmakers were denied visas for participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA), the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, Vladimir Dzhabarov, said on Wednesday.

The upcoming session of OSCE PA will take place in Warsaw from November 24-26.

"We received an outrageous answer of the head of the Polish delegation to OSCE PA, miss Bartosz, which says that she sees no possibility for participation of representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus in the fall session of OSCE PA in Warsaw,"� Dzhabarov said.

According to the lawmaker, the head of the Polish delegation also said that participation of the Russian delegation in the Warsaw meeting contradicts the principle of solidarity with Ukraine.

He added that this was a direct violation of the 2016 Tbilisi declaration of OSCE PA, which provides for free access to all OSCE events for all participating countries.

The Russian senator stated that OSCE PA was also preparing amendments to its rules, which would allow suspension of Russia from participating in the work of its bodies.

"During the fall session of OSCE PA in Warsaw, the meeting of the assembly's standing committee is scheduled to take place. The committee will consider amendments to the rules that would create mechanism and grounds for suspension of a member-state in the OSCE PA bodies. It is obvious that adoption of such amendments is directed against participation of our country in this international organization," the lawmaker noted.

Dzhabarov noted that Russia had sent a letter to the standing committee, expressing its rejection of any changes to the rules of the organization, as Russian lawmakers would not be present at the meeting.

OSCE PA is an institution of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that promotes inter-parliamentary dialogue in order to curb the challenges for peace and security throughout the OSCE area.