Parliamentary Diplomacy Becoming More Important Amid Global Instability, Says Matviyenko

Moscow. Chairwoman of Russia’s Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko has congratulated the heads of several parliaments and international organisations on the occasion of the International Day of Parliamentarism.

In her letters to the heads of parliamentary chambers of CIS and BRICS countries, as well as friendly states, Matviyenko emphasised Russia’s commitment to expanding ties and deepening interparliamentary cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats.

According to Matviyenko, amid growing global instability, parliamentary diplomacy is becoming increasingly important as a means of strengthening international relations, building a fair multipolar world, and addressing pressing global and regional issues.

In her congratulatory message to Natalya Kochanova, Chairwoman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, Matviyenko noted that the 13th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, held late last week, once again confirmed the strength of Russia–Belarus relations and the enormous potential for their further development.

In her message to Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Matviyenko expressed readiness to continue close joint work with Chinese colleagues to strengthen Russia–China ties and further expand strategic cooperation on international platforms, including the BRICS Parliamentary Forum.

In her message to Shri C.P. Radhakrishnan, Vice President of India and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Matviyenko expressed hope that India’s current BRICS Chairship would help ensure responsible and constructive global partnership among the association’s member states.

Similarly, in her congratulatory message to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, Matviyenko reaffirmed Russia’s unwavering commitment to the further practical development of bilateral parliamentary dialogue, which contributes to strengthening the comprehensive Russia–Iran strategic partnership.

In her letter to Tulia Ackson, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Matviyenko noted that the establishment of the International Day of Parliamentarism in 2018 was a recognition of the special role of parliaments in strengthening international cooperation.

The idea of establishing the observance was put forward by Russian parliamentarians and supported by their colleagues in the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the CIS. Members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union endorsed the initiative at the 137th IPU Assembly held in St Petersburg in October 2017. The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution establishing the International Day of Parliamentarism in May 2018.

The International Day of Parliamentarism is observed every year on June 30. The day highlights the role of parliaments in representation, dialogue, accountability and international cooperation.