Russia’s parliament will vote on February 21 to suspend the country’s participation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation (OSCE), according to the Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin. The OSCE was established to promote cooperation between Western and Soviet powers during the Cold War and currently has 57 members, including Ukraine, the US, and Russia. However, since Russia’s annexation of Crimea and invasion of Ukraine, Russia used its veto power, paralysing the OSCE.
During a Duma meeting, Volodin said it was time for Russia to say goodbye to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as the organisation lacked independence, was highly politicised, and was under the influence of Washington. Volodin also noted that Russia is among the most significant contributors to the organisation’s funding.
The Chairman of the State Duma said all decision-making processes in each inter-parliamentary structure are based on the consensus principle. However, the OSCE PA “dances to the tune” of Washington.
“But the worst thing in this situation is that we continue to pay money and are one of the largest payers. Therefore, we should leave, stop sending money and proceed from the fact that until they understand the reason, we have nothing to do there,” said Volodin.
Thus, both chambers of the Russian parliament, the Duma and the Federation Council, will vote simultaneously to suspend Russia’s participation and to stop its payments to the OSCE. The ruling faction, United Russia, which supports President Vladimir Putin, holds an overwhelming majority in the parliament, making it unlikely for the resolution to face opposition.
In a statement, Duma mentioned that Russia will consider leaving other international organisations, although it did not name any. Ukraine and its Baltic allies, who are Russia’s neighbours, refused to attend the OSCE’s annual foreign ministers meeting in late 2020 due to the presence of Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov.
