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Finland rejects to temporarily lift travel ban for Russian State Duma chairman

Xinhua, July 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Finland has declined to temporarily exempt the chairman of Russian State Duma from an EU travel ban to participate in a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Helsinki, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported on Wednesday.

Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of Russian Parliament, is subject to a travel ban by the EU after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. He was invited to attend a meeting of the OSCE's parliamentary group held in Helsinki from July 5 to 9.

The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Yle that it has rejected a short-term waiver of the travel restriction for Naryshkin. The rejection means that the Russian official will be not allowed to enter Finland to participate in the meeting.

Paivi Kaukoranta, Director General of Legal Service at the Ministry, was quoted as saying that Finland has been in consultation with other EU countries on the matter as well as experts from the OSCE and the EU.

The decision has been that special arrangements are applicable to the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly meeting held in Finland, added Kaukoranta.

Five out of the 15 Russian delegation members will not be able to attend the meeting, due to the EU travel restrictions.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the OSCE, the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization.

Ministers from over 50 countries have been invited to attend the meeting, according to the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The decision for the OSCE meeting in Helsinki was made before the EU imposed sanctions against Russia for its alleged role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Endit