Ukraine not to accept Russia observers during March elections

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not accept applications for registration from Russian observers at the Ukrainian presidential elections, scheduled for March 31, 2019, Unian reports.

"In view of the response caused by the [Ukrainian] Central Election Commission's decision to close polling stations in the Russian Federation, I would like to add something to this discussion. A few days ago, in keeping with the procedure, I sent a letter to Ms. Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), inviting her to send an observation mission to the presidential elections in Ukraine. Among other quite standard things, I noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine will not accept applications for the registration of Russian observers," Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Facebook on January 9.

"I consider it is necessary when it comes to observers from the aggressor and invader country. By the way, there are quite a few such precedents in the OSCE's practice," he said.

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