“Finland breached not only its international obligations, it even breached the decision of the European Union, which unilaterally imposed sanctions against some Russian politicians, including parliamentarians. The decision states that the sanctions regime does not apply when it comes to participation in the activities of international organizations, and visas should be issued,” Lavrov told reporters.
The minister noted that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is specifically mentioned as one of these organizations.
On Wednesday, Finnish authorities denied travel visas to several members of a Russian delegation set to participate in a meeting of the OSCE PA in Helsinki, including Russian Parliament Speaker Sergei Naryshkin, who is on the EU travel ban list of persons, suspected of involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.
In response, the Russian delegation decided to completely refrain from participating in the summer session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Moscow regards the Finnish decision as an openly unfriendly step.
An OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Helsinki is taking place on July 5-9.
