Romania will not allow Russian and Belarusian delegations to attend OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

The Romanian authorities have refused to issue visas to Russian and Belarusian delegations to attend the annual session of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA), which will be held in Romania from 29 June to 3 July.

Source: Radu Filip, spokesperson for Romania's Foreign Ministry, on Saturday, 15 June, as reported by European Pravda, citing News.ro news outlet

Details: According to Filip, Bucharest has denied the Russian delegation access to the annual session of the OSCE PA, a move that applies to all members of the delegation, parliamentarians and technical staff.

"The decision of the Romanian side is based on Romania's known and consistent stance towards the Russian Federation in the context of the ongoing aggressive war against Ukraine," Filip said.

The official added that the restriction on participation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly also applies to Belarus, "which supports the war unleashed by the Russian Federation".

The Russian delegation has previously refused to attend at least two sessions of the OSCE PA – in autumn 2023 in Yerevan and in winter 2024 in Vienna. Russian parliamentarians also did appear at the sessions in the UK and Canada in 2022 and 2023, respectively, due to a lack of visas.

Background:

• In July 2023, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a declaration recognising Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.
• Earlier this year, Russia announced its suspension from the OSCE PA.
• The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 57 member states of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

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