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Finland not responsible for rejecting Russian parliamentarians: president

Xinhua, July 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Monday that his country should not be blamed for rejecting Russian parliamentarians from participating in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Talking to the media on the first day of the session, Niinisto described the EU sanctions policy as unclear. He said Finland should not be held responsible for a legal problem, adding that the view that Finland has acted against Russia is senseless.

He said Finland did not say no to Russia but only asked what the attitude was within the EU. "There was no unanimity and many simply left Finland alone with the matter," he said.

The Finnish president reminded that the global weight given to Europe depends on how united and capable the OSCE region is. He warned of the impact if Euro-Atlantic community cannot keep its own house in order.

Only one Russian parliamentarian is present in Helsinki as Russia decided to stay out due to the non-admittance of five of its listed attendees.

Last Wednesday the Finnish authorities declined to temporarily exempt the Russian officials from an EU travel ban, which was inflicted after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. The refusal caused fierce complaint from Russia.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. Established as its successor in 1990, OSCE is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Ministers from over 50 countries have been invited to attend a commemoration this week in Helsinki. Endit