MOSCOW, June 28 Draft statement of the Federal Assembly The suspension of Russia's participation in the work of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was submitted to the State Duma, the head of the International Affairs Committee, leader of the LDPR faction Leonid Slutsky told reporters.
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“A draft statement from both chambers of the Federal Assembly on the suspension of the activities of the Russian delegation to the OSCE PA has been submitted to the State Duma. We will propose to consider it at the plenary meeting on July 3, synchronously with the Federation Council,” he said.
As Slutsky noted, the assembly has turned from a platform for discussing issues of ensuring equal and indivisible security in Europe into a mouthpiece for “Russophobic politicians” working on the anti-Russian agenda of the United States and NATO. According to him, domestic deputies and senators have more than once been subjected to visa discrimination when they were unreasonably not allowed into a particular country to participate in sessions of the organization. In particular, such incidents occurred in the UK, Poland and Romania.
Slutsky explained that the Russian delegation was actually deprived of the right to vote and could not participate in the development of decisions of the assembly. According to him, in such conditions the possibilities for dialogue have been exhausted.
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"We declare the suspension of our work and payment of all contributions to the OSCE PA. During this period, any actions to amend the Assembly's Rules of Procedure that are intended to harm the Russian delegation will be considered legally null and void," the MP emphasized.
He added that if the Assembly's leadership reconsider its Russophobic line and demonstrates a will for constructive cooperation, Moscow reserves the right to study the possibility of returning to this organization.
In mid-June, Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Radu Filip said that Bucharest would not allow the Russian delegation to participate in the annual session of the OSCE PA, which will be held from June 29 to July 3. He explained this position by the situation in Ukraine. Representatives of Belarus will also not be given Romanian visas, Filip added, stating that Minsk is a «supporter» of the conflict that Moscow allegedly started.
As Slutsky noted in early June, Russia will most likely part ways with the OSCE PA if it does not receive an invitation to the next session in Romania. Following Bucharest's refusal, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin instructed the International Affairs Committee to prepare a resolution to suspend Moscow's participation in the assembly.