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Poland does not expect Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s presence at a December sitting of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Ministerial Council in Łódź, central Poland, a government official has said.
Łukasz Jasina, the spokesperson for the Polish foreign ministry, told PAP on Friday that the ministry had informed the Russian side about its stand on the matter in a diplomatic note.
“We do not expect Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to attend the (sitting of the – PAP) OSCE Ministerial Council in early December in Łódź. The Polish foreign ministry has notified the Russian side about this in a diplomatic note,” Jasina said.
Earlier on Friday, the AFP news agency reported that Poland, which will host the sitting as the current OSCE chair, has barred Lavrov from entering the country.
According to AFP sources, the decision to bar Lavrov from the sitting is connected with EU sanctions imposed on Russia after its February 24 invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov is among the Russian officials embraced by the sanctions.
Poland has also barred Russian delegates from attending a session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Warsaw on November 24-26.
The OSCE Ministerial Council, a body grouping the foreign ministers of the OSCE member states, will convene in Lodz on December 1 and 2.
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