OSCE PA president to meet Russian Duma speaker in Moscow

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly (PA) President Ilkka Kanerva said on Tuesday he will travel to Moscow to meet the Russian Duma lower house speaker Sergei Naryskin on Friday.

Naryskin could not arrive in Helsinki to attend the assembly meeting last week as Finland did not waive the EU entry ban applied to Naryskin and five other Russian parliamentarians.

In reaction to the Finnish decision, Russia canceled the attendance of all its delegation - except one parliamentarian attending one day.

Russia described the line of action chosen by Finland as hostile and Duma condemned the decision. Finland said it had acted on the basis of a notification process with other EU countries.

Kanerva told Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Tuesday that the aim of the meeting is to ensure the possibility of the OSCE to function and the commitment of Russia to the operations of the OSCE.

He said the Ukraine crisis cannot be solved without Russia. He defined the OSCE as "the most central actor in mediation efforts in the Ukraine crisis."

Kanerva said the fact a meeting with Naryskin is scheduled soon after the PA meeting is "an encouraging sign."