Tue, 07 Jul, 2015 12:06:37 AM European Union needs to clarify position on OSCE summit and sanctions: Niinistö FTimes – STT Report, July 7
Talking to media on Monday on the of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) session, the president has emphasised that Finland did not say no to Russia, but asked other countries’ opinion on the matter. According to Niinistö, there were opposing opinions, yet on the other hand not many in favour. “It was quiet. There were many that wished to leave Finland solely responsible, even though it is a question of the EU’s provision,” Niinistö said. The president did not identify which countries were included as opponents. He said Finland would have been ready to welcome the Russians, if objections had not been raised. The first session of the OSCE Parliamentary General Assembly was held on Monday at the Finlandia Hall. The meeting was attended by approximately 300 MPs from over 50 countries. On Sunday, representatives of several countries criticised the travel ban against the Russian representatives. Many countries stressed that the OSCE meetings and discussion forum should always allow for the possibility of participation of all countries’ representatives. Niinistö felt that many of those taking part did not know what had been decided and that Finland was placed between a rock and a hard place. In Niinistö’s view, the EU needs to clarify the position of the OSCE General Assembly and the EU’s sanctions. He stressed this also whilst speaking at the meeting. In the president’s opinion, the sanctions are confusing, and Finland should not take responsibility for the legal ambiguity. “The talks about it that this was contrary to Finnish-Russian measures are senseless,” he said. According to the president, Finland should also have been informed of the matters earlier. The same problems were in his view apparent in the past, for instance at the gathering in Vienna. If Finland had been informed earlier of certain matters then maybe the issue could have been treated under “neutral conditions”. “For example, a submission to the EU, adding an exception for this meeting,” considered Niinistö. Niinistö said Russia being offended is understandable and stressed the importance of fostering a dialogue. He stressed that the current situation does not benefit any side. According to President Niinistö, now it is time to wait and see what Russia means by the fact that the Russian diplomats travel ban will lead to further steps against Finland. Last Wednesday the Finnish authorities declined to temporarily exempt the Russian officials from an EU travel ban, which was inflicted after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis. The refusal caused fierce complaint from Russia. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. Established as its successor in 1990, OSCE is the world’s largest security-oriented intergovernmental organisation.
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