MOSCOW, Feb 3 Lithuania does not exclude the possibility of a boycott of the winter session OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, if Austria issues visas to the Russian delegation, said a member of the Lithuanian delegation, head of the Lithuanian Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense Laurynas Kaschyunas.
The next session of the OSCE PA will be held on February 23-24 in Vienna. The first deputy head of the international committee of the Federation Council Vladimir Dzhabarov reported that the Russian delegation would take part in the meeting of the OSCE PA. He expects that representatives of Western countries will try to put pressure on the Russian delegation, but they will not succeed, «it is impossible to isolate Russia.»
«We will wait for Austria's response and consider further actions. We will wait for the words of the Ukrainians and hold regional consultations… We certainly do not rule out the possibility of a boycott,» ELTA quoted Kasciunas as saying.
According to another member of the Lithuanian delegation, Deputy Giedrius Surplis, if Austria issues visas to Russia, «the meeting will turn into an absolute farce.»
As Dzhabarov noted on Friday, the Russian delegation received assurances from the Austrian side that «they will provide us with travel, which corresponds to the rules of the assembly.» According to the legislator, Austria promised to provide travel for all members of the Russian delegation, as well as the delegation of Belarus. He recalled that earlier the PA deputy chairman from the British side proposed to reform the assembly with an anti-Russian bias. Western opponents of Russia spoke out against the participation of the Russian delegation in the meeting, but «Austria took a firm position,» the senator noted.
Dzhabarov recalled that the Russian delegation had not participated in the work of the assembly for almost two years — first because of the covid, then because the UK and Poland did not issue visas.