Ukraine’s and some other countries’ representatives have tried to prevent the Crimean delegation from speaking at the meeting of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights that took place in the Polish capital, the Novye Vesti website reports.
According to the Head of the Crimea Journalists Union Denis Simonenko, after the second attempt he told the audience that a so-called Russian annexation of the Crimea was a myth. He recalled that the peninsula returned to the Russian Federation after the Ukrainian occupation lasting for almost a quarter of a century. Moreover, it happened legally through a referendum, the journalist stressed.
A delegate from Ukraine interrupted Crimea’s representatives. He insisted that the residents of the occupied territory could not represent Russia. A Canadian delegate suggested that the Crimeans should be removed from the hall.
Simonenko recalled that during the “Ukrainian period” the authorities have conducted “total Ukrainization” of the mass media. He pointed out that this is a violation of the Crimean’s right to access information in Russian language.
Ervin Musayev, the head of the TV-channel Millet, invited everyone who spreads lies about the Crimea to visit the peninsula and see the situation.
A representative of the Crimean Public Chamber Maria Medusheva said: “Whether you like it or not, but Crimea is a part of Russia.”
The Russian delegation pointed out to the OSCE leadership that Crimean representatives should not be discriminated. If this happens again, Russian Foreign Ministry representative Grigory Lukyantsev explained, Russia reserves the right to interrupt anyone who talks about the mythical occupation of the Crimea or about a so-called Russian aggression in the Donbass.