Austria, being the seat of OSCE headquarters, is obligated to issue visas to Russian delegates in order for them to participate in the upcoming Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said in an interview with The Washington Post published on Monday.
He explained that Vienna is the seat of about 40 international organizations and Austria is obligated by international law to permit delegations of member countries to enter. “It’s not the question of whether we want to. It’s a must,” the diplomat said.
The 22nd winter session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be held in Vienna on February 23-24. Earlier, delegates from 20 countries urged Austria’s authorities to deny visas to Russian delegates under Western sanctions.
In 2022, the UK and Poland denied entry visas to Russian delegations before the OSCE PA sessions held in those countries. London explained its actions by the UK’s sanctions against the Russian delegates while Warsaw called for “solidarity with Ukraine.”