COPENHAGEN, 2 August 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement today on the death of Assembly member Vladimir Kulakov of Russia:

"My colleagues and I in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly were shocked by the terrible news that Vladimir Kulakov, our colleague and good friend, was killed in an accident in Crimea. We remember him as an active contributor to the work of the Assembly, and in particular to the work of the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security.

"On behalf of the OSCE PA, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Vladimir Kulakov and to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in connection with this tragic loss," Kanerva said.