OECD formally ends Russia’s accession process

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced this Friday that its Council has decided to formally close the accession process of Russia to the body, which had already been paralyzed in March 2014 due to the illegal annexation of Crimea.

The Council also asked the Secretary General, the Australian Mathias Cormann, to take the necessary measures to close the OECD office in Moscow and to stop all invitations to Russia at the ministerial level and in the bodies in which it appears on the list of guests.

After his conviction this Thursday of the military aggression of Russia vs. Ukrainethe OECD Council also advocated ending any project financed with voluntary contributions from Russia and that has not yet started.

The body had already warned this Thursday that its Council was urgently reviewing all collaboration with Russia after the country launched its military operation at dawn on a large scale against Ukraine, according to the Efe agency.

This Friday he pointed out that this review and “the elaboration of new measures aimed at reinforcing the OECD’s support for the democratically elected Ukrainian government will continue over the coming days and weeks.”

The Council asked Cormann not to conclude any new cooperation agreement with Russia that involves voluntary contributions from that country and instructed the Foreign Relations Committee to examine Russia’s participation within the organization’s committees.

“The OECD remains firmly in solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” the statement added, specifying that it is examining the economic and social impact of the invasion and has discussed it with representatives of the International Energy Agency (IEA). and the Nuclear Energy Agency (AEN, a body dependent on the OECD).

It is important to mention that the OECDheadquartered in Paris, is made up of 38 countries, among which are neither Russia nor Ukraine, and cooperates with nearly a hundred.