Poland, which will host the ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in early December, refused Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov entry to its territory, according to the organization's presidency.
“We expect the Russian Federation to choose the members of its delegation in accordance with the applicable regulations,” said a source in the rotating annual presidency currently held by Warsaw, “not to include persons subject to EU sanctions as a result of Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine on February 24, including Minister Lavrov.” ".
A spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry, Lukas Jasina, said earlier that he did not expect "Minister Lavrov's visit to Lodz," the city in central Poland, where 57 foreign ministers within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are scheduled to meet on December 1 and 2.
The Polish presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said it had received a letter of protest from the Russian delegation following this decision.
Created in 1975 at the height of the Cold War to promote dialogue between East and West, the OSCE has its headquarters in Vienna.
The annual ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in which Lavrov usually participates, is considered the central organ of this international organization responsible for its decisions.
It is an occasion for foreign ministers to review the work of the organization in all its fields of activity.
And following the Russian attack on Ukraine, Poland and the three Baltic states announced in September that they agreed to temporarily limit the entry of Russian citizens to their lands, even if they hold European visas.