A large number of deputies left the parliamentary assembly meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday, the 23rd of February, before the speech of the deputy head of the delegation of the Russian Federation Vladimir Dzhabarov.
Some delegates left the room and some raised Ukraine’s flags.
During the speech of the Belarusian representative Andrey Savinikh there were two delegates behind him holding up the flag of Ukraine.
Protesting the decision to let the Russian delegation attend the OSCE parliamentary assembly session, which coincided with the day of anniversary of the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian and Lithuanian parliamentarians decided to completely boycott it.
«They [Russians] are not interested in discussions, dialogue. They arrived for propaganda purposes,» journalists were told by the head of the Ukrainian delegation Mikita Poturayev on Wednesday, the 22nd of February.
«It is unacceptable to organise joint meetings with people responsible, the ones who voted for this war.»
Lithuania’s representative in international organisations, OSCE included, Vaidotas Verba, in a conversation with Deutsche Welle (DW) mentioned that Lithuanian parliamentarians found it «morally and politically unacceptable» to be in the same room with people responsible for starting, maintaining and justifying the war.
Another 19 OSCE countries presented Austria a protest over inviting Russia’s delegation to the parliamentary assembly session.
Vienna, meanwhile, parried accusations by saying that international rights do not allow denying the Russian delegation entry to the country, as OSCE headquarters is located in Austria.
At the same time, Austria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Schallenberg admits the date for the meeting are «very unlucky».
«But at the same time, we cannot ignore the fact that we need platforms [for negotiations]. OSCE has never been an organisation of similarly minded people,» the minister said in an interview to Austrian TV programme Zeit im Bild.
The Russian delegation is lead by deputy chairman of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy, who is under international sanctions.
Other members of the delegation are under sanctions as well.
Prior to the session, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly chairperson Margareta Cederfelt promised to prevent attempt to turn the meeting into a Russian propaganda platform.
In her opening speech, Cederfelt mentioned there are some parliamentarians that support and assist with «crimes of aggression».
She also mentioned that members of the Russian delegation put at risk civil rights, media freedom and fair elections.
«In exchange for the privilege to spout their lies, the Russian delegation will have to sit through hours and hours of condemnation of their actions,» she said.
In 2022 Russian delegation was banned from meetings of OSCE, which were organised by Britain and Poland.