Russia nominates candidates for OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine - envoy
MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - Russia is ready to choose its representatives for the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, Russian Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based organization Andrei Kelin said.
"We have nominated a number of candidates, former police officers and employees of various entities connected to foreign policy in one way or another," he said in a Moscow-Vienna video link.
"We expect our monitors to play an active part in this mission. Besides, we believe they can occupy some senior positions," the diplomat said.
In his words, the number of monitors to represent a OSCE member country in Ukraine will depend on their home country's contribution to the OSCE budget. The Russian contribution is 6-7%, Kelin said. Hence, Russia may count on assigning six or seven representatives to the original 100-member monitoring mission, and the Russian representation may increase in a later period, Kelin said. He referred to the practice of quota exchanges between OSCE member countries.
