"The draft statement of the two chambers of the Federal Assembly on suspending the work of the Russian delegation to the OSCE PA has been submitted to the State Duma. We will propose to consider it at the plenary session on July 3 at the same time as the Federation Council," Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) parliamentary faction, told reporters.
According to Slutsky, the OSCE PA has turned from a platform for discussing security issues on the European continent into a mouthpiece for Russophobic politicians working on the agenda of the United States and NATO. "Russian lawmakers and senators have repeatedly been subjected to visa discrimination, when they were unjustifiably denied the right to enter the country to participate in Assembly sessions. This has been the case in the United Kingdom, Poland and - in the most recent illustrative case - Romania. The Russian delegation has been effectively deprived of the right to vote, and we cannot participate in the drafting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s decisions. In addition, we have been repeatedly subjected to unjustified attacks and open rudeness at the meetings of the Assembly," he added.
The senior lawmaker emphasized that under such conditions, the possibilities for dialogue are exhausted. "We declare the suspension of our work and the payment of all contributions to the OSCE PA. During this period, any actions to amend the rules of procedure of the Assembly aimed at harming the Russian delegation will be considered legally null and void," he added.
Slutsky pointed out that at the same time, "if the Russophobic line of the OSCE PA leadership is reconsidered and there is a will for constructive interaction, Russia reserves the right to consider the possibility of returning to this organization."
