Declared persona non grata in Poland, Sergei Lavrov denounces a “provocative” decision
After Poland’s refusal to allow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to enter its territory for a meeting of the heads of diplomacy of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Russia reacted strongly to this decision on Saturday:
Poland’s decision (…) is provocative and unprecedented.
” Not only [la Pologne] discredited herself in this way, but she did irreparable damage to the authority of the whole[OSCE] », the statement said. Poland, which is organizing the ministerial meeting of the organization in early December, announced on Friday that it had refused entry into its territory to Mr. Lavrov.
“We expect the Russian Federation to choose the members of its delegation in accordance with the regulations in force”, explained to Agence France-Presse a source within this rotating annual presidency, currently held by Warsaw. According to her, the Russian delegation should not “include people sanctioned by the European Union” following the Russian offensive in Ukraine, launched on February 24. Sergueï Lavrov appears on the list of these personalities.
The meeting of the 57 Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will take place on 1er and on December 2 in Lodz, a city in central Poland. The Russian delegation will be led by the Russian ambassador to the OSCE, Alexander Lukachevitch, according to Moscow.