Representatives of 30 diplomatic missions visit the Tavricheskiy Palace
04 February 2016
The Tavricheskiy Palace hosted the meeting of the leadership of the IPA CIS Secretariat with Consuls-General accredited in St. Petersburg.
The meeting was led by Alexey Sergeev, Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council. Resident representatives of the IPA CIS Member Nations at the Secretariat and chiefs of the Secretariat divisions attended the meeting.
Alexey Sergeev thanked the representatives of the diplomatic missions for taking part in the meeting, saying that it was held for the fourth time in this format.
The meeting featured a video report on the activities of the IPA CIS in 2015 prepared by Vmeste-RF TV Channel. Commenting on its content, Alexey Sergeev also told the guests about the signature events of the IPA CIS in 2015 such as the VII Nevsky International Ecological Congress and the Eurasian Women’s Forum which premiered in the Tavricheskiy Palace in September. It brought together women leaders and activists from around the world.
Alexey Sergeev also shared on the working plans of the IPA CIS for the current year. He stressed that this year the CIS celebrates its 25th anniversary which will be echoed in the majority of the IPA CIS events. “Model law-making is one of the key priorities of the IPA CIS activities reflected in the CIS Long-Term Plan of Model Law-Making for 2016 – 2020. To this date, the Plan has included 119 model acts”. The number of all model laws developed by the IPA CIS totals 475, added Alexey Sergeev.
He also elaborated on another core activity – the observation of elections, saying that 2015 was a fruitful year, with many elections taking place across the IPA CIS Member Nations. The agenda for 2016 includes observation missions in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia.
A dedicated division of the IPA CIS – the International Institute for Monitoring Democratic and Parliamentary Process – leads the observation efforts of the IPA CIS. This year the Institute celebrates its 10th anniversary.
On 29-30 September, the headquarters of the IPA CIS will welcome the 6th International Congress Road Safety for the Safety of Life.
At the end of the presentation the IPA CIS Secretary General mentioned cultural and awareness-raising events traditionally supported by the IPA CIS including the Readings in the Tavrichesky, Vmeste TV and Cinema Forum, etc.
Alexey Sergeev Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council
IPA CIS supports active contacts with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko suggested raising the status of the IPA CIS at the IPU to associated membership. This suggestion has been put for the consideration of the IPU Assembly which will take place in March 2016.
Also, the IPA CIS intends to attend the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.
Head of the branch of the Embassy of Belarus in St. Petersburg Sergey Misuragin expressed appreciation to the IPA CIS for organizing the Eurasian Women’s Forum calling it the key event of 2015.
Representative of the Russian MFA in St. Petersburg Vladimir Zapevalov thanked Alexey Sergeev and the IPA CIS for its attention to the diplomatic missions and stressed the high quality organization of such events as the Eurasian Women’s Forum.
Implementing the decision of the IPA CIS Chairperson, Alexey Sergeev awarded an IPA CIS Council Certificate of Excellence to Chairman of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg Yevgeny Grigoryev for his active support of IPA CIS activities and enhancing friendship among the CIS nations.
