Poland’s foreign ministry announced on Friday that it will not permit a Russian delegation to attend a summit of the biggest regional security organisation in the world next month.
When questioned by AFP if Moscow was being denied entry to the December conference of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), of which Russia is a member, Spokesman Lukasz Jasina responded in the affirmative. Ukraine is a member of the organisation.
This year, Poland is the rotating chairman of the 57-nation OSCE, and the annual ministerial conference will be held in the city of Lodz on December 1-2.
When asked if Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, was anticipated to come, Jasina responded, “We are not expecting a visit by Minister Lavrov to Lodz.”
“Delegations should be adjusted to the current EU regulations and not include persons that are sanctioned by the European Union,” according to a statement from the Polish OSCE Chairmanship.
“Following Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine on February 24th a number of Russian nationals were added to the list of sanctioned individuals, including Minister Lavrov,” it added.
Poland and the three Baltic nations have temporarily restricted entry for Russian nationals as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, including those on visas issued by other EU member states.
(with inputs from agencies)
