Swiss-Russian chess game prompts criticism
By Jo Fahy
Ukraine Crisis
A group of Russian politicians, including chess legend Anatoly Karpov, took on Swiss parliamentarians in a chess tournament at the Federal Palace in Bern on Wednesday. The informal challenge has raised questions while being held during a politically sensitive time, due to Russia’s involvement in Ukraine.
Senator Filippo Lombardi of the centre-right Christian Democrats, who co-chairs the Russia-Switzerland parliamentary group, made a surprise announcement on Tuesday that the tournament was to take place as part of the celebrations to mark 200 years of diplomatic relations with Russia.
The chess grandmaster, Anatoly Karpov, took part, using notably less of the seven minutes allowed for each game than his opponents. Karpov, a member of the State Duma, a house of the Russian Federal Assembly, was joined by five other Russian politicians.
On the Swiss side, centre-left Social Democrat parliamentarians Christian Levrat, Jean-François Steiert and Andreas Gross took part alongside the centre-right Radical party senator Hans Altherr, Social Democrat Federal Judge Ulrich Meyer, and a local politician from canton Fribourg.
Lombardi described the tournament as a contribution towards dialogue with Russia in light of the current situation in Ukraine where violent unrest and political instability have sprung up the east of the country since Moscow annexed Crimea in February. No official talks were planned with the Russian politicians.
The enthusiasm shown by the politicians as they faced their opponents was not matched by everyone in Parliament. Social Democrat and president of the foreign affairs committee in the House of Representatives, Carlo Sommaruga, told the Neue Zürcher Zeitungnewspaper on Wednesday that it was a “disgrace” to sit at the games table with a nation making up one side of an ongoing conflict.
Switzerland has brokered talks over the Ukraine conflict in its capacity as head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) this year.
Source: http://www.swissinfo.ch
Stupid politics.
Stupid politics.
Stupid comment.
On the surface, silly, but diplomacy
is all about appearances and protocol…so maybe someone had a point.
Diplomacy is better than War. The Ukraine-Russia is better solved peacefully thru proper diplomatic channels. If a simple game of chess will promote goodwill and can help solve the crisis why not? Only the hardline & war prick officials of both country wants war because they have too much pride at stake. What is good is your pride if you see your country destroyed and people killed en masse? If the Ukraine-Russia crisis will not be resolved ASAP and peacefully, its the people of Ukraine that will suffer a lot… NOT Russians or any other… BUT Ukranians. If chess will help solve it then be it.. Be open minded and think “what is best for your country not what is best for you”.
As if Europe was not supporting one side of the story, and is very innocent… And what side of the story!! Europe supports a government with neo-nazi members!! At least Russia can say it doesn’t support nazism…
Either way, both parts, Europe and Russia, are responsible for shredding a country! There are no innocents here.
Send Nakamura! He will find your lost ship.