A Russian delegate was taken to hospital for a checkup on Thursday evening after starting a scuffle with a Ukrainian lawmaker at a parliamentary meeting of the Black Sea countries in Ankara, Turkey. media reports,
Valery Stavitsky, secretary of Russia̵7;s delegation, snatched a Ukrainian flag from the hands of Oleksandr Marikovsky, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, while the latter was taking a selfie in the corridors of the building where the meeting took place.
Marikovsky then chased after the Russian officer and slapped him in the face, knocking off his glasses – but winning back the flag, video of the incident shows.
Stavitsky was then taken to hospital for examination, Russian media informed ofWith reference to a representative of the Embassy of Russia in Ankara.
The incident happened on the sidelines of a tense meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) in the Turkish capital.
Earlier on Thursday a Controversy Panic broke out inside the meeting room after members of the Ukrainian delegation brought down the flag of Ukraine while Olga Timofeeva, deputy head of the Russian delegation, was speaking.
Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop, who was presiding over the meeting, intervened and asked that the Ukrainian delegates be escorted out of the room.
Sentop later apologized Twitter for the “unfortunate and unacceptable” incident, which he called “disruptive”[ed] Türkiye is trying to achieve an atmosphere of peace.
Turkey has tried to position itself as a mediator between Kiev and Moscow over the war in Ukraine prime deal last July allowed Ukraine to export its grain through the Black Sea – which is currently under threat because Russia has bullied To walk away from the deal.
PABSEC is one of the few international forums in which both Ukraine and Russia are still active members.
In February, a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna was attended by a large number of delegates. going outside Had a meeting during the speech of a Russian representative. Some delegates held the flag of Ukraine behind the Russian delegate.