Russia: We won't take part in OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Helsinki - Duma's Naryshkin

Russia will not participate in the upcoming OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Helsinki, as five members of its delegation are banned from entering Finland, Russia's State Duma Chairman Sergei Naryshkin announced in Moscow, Wednesday. Speaking to journalists, Naryshkin, who is one of the banned delegates, accused Helsinki of being influenced by pressure from Washington and Brussels. His statements came after the Finnish Foreign Ministry said it would not lift the travel ban for sanctioned delegates. Despite not participating in Helsinki's session, Russia will continue its work in the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly. The next session will be held in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. "I am sure that the Mongolian authorities will fulfill their commitments and receive all delegations," Naryshkin concluded. Earlier, Naryshkin had submitted a draft resolution to the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly denouncing the very practice of sanctions against members of parliament. In the document he stated that obstructing contacts between lawmakers of different nations was against the basic principles of democracy.