Bilateral meetings took place in the margins of the IPA CIS spring session

Within the framework of the events taking place on 18–19 April 2019 in the Tavricheskiy Palace, the IPA CIS headquarters, a number of bilateral meetings took place. Parliamentarians and representatives of international organizations taking part in the IPA CIS spring session discussed prospects of cooperation.

On 18 April Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko held meetings with the heads of the parliamentary delegations to the IPA CIS to discuss different aspects of bilateral relations.

At the meeting with Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrghyz Republic Dastanbek Dzhumabekov Valentina Matvienko noted the active and progressive development of Russian-Kyrgyz cooperation. Dastanbek Dzhumabekov also commended the level of Russian-Kyrgyz relations, including the parliamentary contacts.

Discussing the issues of bilateral cooperation with Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dariga Nazarbaeva, Valentina Matvienko noted the value of the activities of the Commission on Cooperation between the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Dariga Nazarbaeva stressed that Russia and Kazakhstan should maintain continuity in relations between the two countries. She added that these relations were established through agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.

Valentina Matvienko also met with Speaker of the Milli Mejlis of the Azerbaijan Republic Oktay Asadov to exchange views on the bilateral cooperation and inter-parliamentary interaction and discussed the outcomes of the Conference on Countering International Terrorism held on the same day.

Valentina Matvienko also held a closed meeting with Speaker of the Council of Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovitch in the margins of the IPA CIS spring session.

The IPA CIS Council Chairperson also met with President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Liliane Maury Pasquier, one the Conference co-organizers. The parties drew the outcomes of the joint event and discussed relevant issues of international cooperation.

On the same day the heads of the parliamentary delegations to the IPA CIS arranged a number of meetings in the Tavricheskiy Palace. The issues of mutual interest, such as the problems of the Caspian Sea, were discussed by Dariga Nazarbaeva and Oktay Asadov. Also, the Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan met with Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Dastanbek Dzhumabekov.

Discussing the topic of the Conference, Chairman of the Executive Committee – CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev and Chair of the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism Makis Voridis agreed on the need to consolidate universal efforts to combat terrorism, and focused on the methods of parliamentarians’ influence on their governments with a view to implement initiatives and decisions taken at the parliamentary level.

On 19 April Valentina Matvienko met with Ararat Mirzoyan and discussed the issues of development and stepping-up of inter-parliamentary cooperation within the IPA CIS.

At the same time, Dariga Nazarbaeva discussed with TurkPA Secretary General Altynbek Mamayusupov the current activities of the organization, the preparation for the upcoming plenary session of the Assembly, and further development of interaction between the parliaments of Turkic-speaking countries.

Secretary General – Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Dmitriy Kobitskiy also held a number of meetings in the margins of the spring session. On 18 April he discussed the ongoing Conference on Countering International Terrorsim with UN Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Yury Fedotov and PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev, and on 19 April he discussed the prospects of the cooperation within the CIS and the issues of international agenda at the meetings with Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Ilyas Umakhanov and PAM Secretary General Sergio Piazzi.