OSCE PA Latvian delegate reminded Russia about its warship as its destination

The winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe opened Thursday with a scandal when a Latvian MP voiced his indignation at the participation of the Russian Duma’s delegation in the session, using strong words.

“I will convey a message to the Russian delegation sitting in this room, and I will quote the Ukrainian border guards: Russian warship, go f… yourself,” Rihards Kols said, quoting Ukrainian border guards on the Snake Island who refused to surrender.

The Russian delegates responded in an aggressive manner, after which half of the session participants demonstratively left the room.

“Finally, someone at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna speaks up on the presence of delegates from Russia. Kudos to the delegate from Latvia, Rihards Kols,” tweeted Rikard Jozwiak, RFERL Europe editor.

As members of the Duma, the Russian parliament’s lower house, all members of the Russian delegation in Vienna have been under EU sanctions since 2014.

Ukraine and Lithuania are boycotting the OSCE PA winter session.

“We will not participate in any official events of the Parliamentary Assembly, not in a single one. But we are going to Vienna for negotiations with our partners on what to do, how to get the OSCE, at least the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, out of this crisis,” said a member of the Ukrainian delegation, MP Yevhenia Kravchuk, on Sunday, according to Europeyska Pravda.