The Russian delegation does not recognize the adopted declaration of the OSCE PA and does not consider it a binding document for execution, said member of the Russian delegation in the assembly, State Duma deputy Nikolai Ryzhak at the plenary session of the OSCE PA on Monday.
The final declaration included a number of anti-Russian provisions: on the non-recognition of Crimea by part of the Russian Federation, the call for Moscow to refuse recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as criticism of the Nord Stream 2 project.
“We do not recognize it and we will not consider it a binding document for execution,” said Ryzhak.
“This is your decision, of course. You can recognize or not recognize the resolution,” said the OSCE PA Chairman Georgy Tsereteli.
In an interview with journalists Ryzhak has stressed that the declaration contains all the same anti-Russian rhetoric as before.
"This is all the same anti-Russian rhetoric absolutely. This is despite the fact that we take so many counter steps. Even the issue of energy security they tried to politicize it ... Here is the issue of promoting American interests. The Americans do not want in any way that convergence even in the energy sector, "Ryzhak told reporters, stressing that according to the regulations, there was no quorum during the voting.
Recall that the summer session of the OSCE PA was held from 4 to 8 July. At the beginning of the session, the Russian delegation asked to withdraw from the PA OSCE the draft anti-Russian resolutions prepared by the parliamentarians of Ukraine and Georgia, but at the meeting of the standing committee of the Assembly it was decided to keep these issues on the agenda.
ESSENCE OF RESOLUTIONS
The author of the resolution, condemning the "actions of the Russian Federation in the Crimea", is the Ukrainian deputy Artur Gerasimov. The resolution proposes to discuss "the ongoing illegal occupation and the attempt of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and urges the Russian Federation to abolish them, withdraw the Russian occupying forces from the Crimea and return it to the control of the Ukrainian government."
Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014, in which 96.77% of voters in the Republic of Crimea and 95.6% of the residents of Sevastopol were in favor of joining Russia. Ukraine still considers Crimea its own, but temporarily occupied territory. The leadership of Russia has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea in a democratic way, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter, voted for reunification with Russia. According to the Russian president, the issue of Crimea is “completely closed”.
The author of another resolution on Abkhazia and South Ossetia is the Georgian parliamentarian Sofia Katsarava. This resolution condemns the actions of Russia in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and calls for repealing the decision of the Russian Federation to recognize the independence of these republics, calling it illegal.
On the night of August 8, 2008, Georgia fired South Ossetia from a grad volley fire and Georgian troops attacked the Republic and destroyed part of its capital, Tskhinval. Russia, defending the residents of South Ossetia, many of whom accepted the citizenship of the Russian Federation, sent troops into the Republic and, after five days of hostilities, ousted the Georgian military from the Republic. Moscow August 26, 2008 recognized the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The leaders of Russia have repeatedly stated that the recognition of the independence of these two republics reflects the existing realities and is not subject to revision.
The OSCE PA declaration also includes a resolution that regards Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream as a potential means of political and economic coercion of countries dependent on energy supplies. The author of the resolution “Energy Security in the OSCE Region” is a parliamentarian from Lithuania, Ruta Milyute, and an amendment about energy projects was made by the US parliamentarians.
The Russian delegation several times raised the issue of the absence, in its opinion, of a quorum, but the voting was continued, the final declaration was adopted at the plenary session of the OSCE PA by a majority of votes.
