Ukraine to boycott OSCE PA because of Russia

Verkhovna Rada’s permanent delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will boycott the work of this organization because of its reluctance to expel Russian representatives, UNIAN reported.

According to Yevhenia Kravchuk, a delegation member, the OSCE PA Standing Committee on Friday failed to change its rules to kick out the Russians.

“From today on, we, the Ukrainian delegation, are boycotting the work at the OSCE PA until this international organization can work out its attitude toward the participation of Russians – the propagandists and representatives of a terrorist state, a criminal state,” she said.

The OSCE PA is in its fall session from Nov. 24-26 in Poland. Although Russia is still a PA member despite the nine months of its ongoing brutal aggression against Ukraine, it cannot participate in the session since Poland has not issued visas to the Russian delegation. Even more, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, has been denied entry into Poland, so he will be unable to participate in the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Łódź on Dec 1-2.