OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva (second on left) speaks during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (second on right) on 4 September. MOSCOW, 4 September 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) urged Russia to play a constructive role in the Ukrainian crisis and abide by OSCE commitments during meetings in Moscow today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matvienko.

In a frank and open exchange of views on Ukraine, President Kanerva emphasized the need for Russia to take responsibility for its impact on the conflict and match its stated aims with concrete actions.

"I emphasized that there is no military solution to the situation in Ukraine and that only a political solution can be sustainable. My Russian counterparts did refer to President Putin's new peace plan, but any solution must be predicated on a genuine commitment by Russia to stop the flow of arms and military personnel across its border with Ukraine. Russia must also respect its neighbor's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as it has committed to do as an OSCE member," Kanerva said.

"As the situation in the east of Ukraine worsens, the need for political dialogue that gets real results is now greater than ever. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will continue to do its utmost to facilitate that," he added.

OSCE PA Secretary General Spencer Oliver also participated in the meetings in the Russian capital.

In their meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov, President Kanerva and Secretary General Oliver also discussed the importance of Ukraine's parliamentary elections on 26 October and agreed on the need for a large and robust OSCE PA election observation mission that includes Russian MPs.

Other topics of discussion in the meetings included the humanitarian effects of the Ukraine crisis; its ramifications on overall European security and for the OSCE as an organization; as well as progress to date in organizing an Interparliamentary Liaison Group on Ukraine within the PA.

President Kanerva also provided an update on the OSCE PA's Helsinki +40 Project, a series of high-level seminars aimed at evaluating the OSCE and brainstorming needed reforms. The project's initial seminar will take place on 25-26 September at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) in Moscow.

The President thanked his Russian counterparts for their active involvement in the project.

President Kanerva and Secretary General Oliver are scheduled to meet State Duma Chairperson Sergey Naryshkin on 5 September.

For photos from today's meetings, click here.