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OSCE military observers banned from entering Crimea, Lithuanian foreign minister says

In the meantime, Germany, the United States and Switzerland are sending military observers to Ukraine at the request of the new government in Kiev

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius EPA/JULIEN WARNAND

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius

© EPA/JULIEN WARNAND

VILNIUS, March 05. /ITAR-TASS/. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told journalists on Wednesday that military observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have been banned from entering Crimea.

“We wish they were allowed to enter Crimea very much but we cannot give any guarantees,” the Lithuanian diplomat said. He added the peninsula had a ‘specific leadership’ that was reluctant to contact with other organizations. Nevertheless, Linkevicius said he hoped the observers would be able to convince their Crimean partners.

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Lavrov: Russia not giving orders to Crimean self-defense forces

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Germany, US and Switzerland send military observers to Ukraine at Kiev’s request

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