Ukraine will boycott OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna due to Russia’s participation

The Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament - ed.] delegation will not participate in the winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), which will be held on 23-24 February in Vienna, in protest against the admission of Russia’s representatives.

Source: European Pravda, referring to Yevhenia Kravchuk, MP from Servant of the People faction and member of the delegation, during the air of the national joint 24/7 newscast

"We will not take part in any of the official events of the Parliamentary Assembly. But we are going to Vienna to negotiate with our partners on what to do, how to get the OSCE and at least the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly out of this crisis," she said.

According to Kravchuk, the situation "where one or two countries can block all decisions is actually a dead end for any international organisation where such a rule applies. Therefore, we are working together with our partners on the reform of the OSCE PA," Kravchuk added.

She stated that the Russian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly consists of more than 60 people, not just parliamentarians, and that "there will be a whole bunch of, we understand, just special services, propagandists who will come to use the meeting as a scenery".

"Together with our Ukrainian community, we are working on protests near Hofburg, where this will take place, so that this does not become the norm. But we will not attend the meetings ourselves," she stressed.

Earlier, Ukraine had opposed the presence of the Russian delegation at the official meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and suggested postponing the meeting.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg defends the country's decision to allow Russian delegates, which are under Western sanctions, at the OSCE meeting in Vienna despite criticism from two dozen countries.

Previously: Representatives of Russia did not take part in the summer and autumn sessions of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as Britain and Poland accordingly, refused to issue them visas.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!