Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov plans to attend a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Malta in December. This would be the first time since the start of the war that Russia’s top diplomat would travel to an EU country.
The Maltese Embassy in Russia stated that the decision to hold the foreign ministers’ meeting on the island also applied to Russia. The EU imposed sanctions on Lavrov and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin in February 2022 over the war against Ukraine.
Lavrov was last in an EU country, namely Sweden, in December 2021. When the OSCE met in Poland a year later, the government there refused the politician entry. In fact, the sanctions do not mean an entry ban.
Schallenberg expected that too
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) also plans to participate in the meeting in Malta.
Unlike several other European institutions, Russia has not withdrawn from the OSCE. Malta took over as chairman at short notice last year, after the Russian government blocked Estonia’s candidacy with a months-long veto.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
