During the discussion, Vladimir Dzhabarov and Grigory Karasin spoke about the infringement of Russian and Russian-speaking citizens’ rights, as well as the consolidation of a positive unifying agenda across the OSCE landscape, and the rejection of confrontational bloc-based approaches and aggressive rhetoric.
A delegation from the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation is taking part in the 20th Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
The Federation Council is represented by First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs (head of the upper house part of the delegation) Vladimir Dzhabarov, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Inna Svyatenko, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Grigory Karasin, Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy Tatyana Kusayko, and member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Vadim Dengin.
The event is taking place online and includes about 270 parliamentarians from 57 countries, as well as high-level representatives from governments and the OSCE.
The agenda covers strengthening multilateralism, protracted conflicts, the crisis in and around Ukraine, and ways to ensure economic and environmental security during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the plenary session, Vladimir Dzhabarov and Grigory Karasin spoke about the infringement of the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population, as well as the consolidation of a positive unifying agenda across the OSCE landscape.
As Vladimir Dzhabarov noted, the OSCE must not turn into an organisation of confrontation in Europe.
“Putting pressure on Russia is not a good idea. They need to find common ground with Russia,” the senator stressed.
Grigory Karasin focused on the importance of a calm and constructive atmosphere of interstate and interparliamentary communication, which should be aimed at achieving tangible results, not at aggravating controversy or creating an atmosphere of mutual distrust.
“Especially during the pandemic, it is extremely important not to lose sight of the important things we are striving for – mutual understanding and a positive agenda in all exchanges of views,” Grigory Karasin said.
“In recent years, we have seen a number of states and regional unions begin to use the language of sanctions and political propaganda attacks. This is a short-sighted and dangerous approach,” Grigory Karasin said adding that it is absolutely futile to use this kind of tone with Russia.
“Moreover, it is absolutely unacceptable to launch sanction attacks against states for solving problems of a purely domestic-policy nature,” the Russian senator concluded.