The Federation Council Speaker addressed the meeting of the heads of parliament of the member countries of the Group of Friends of Neutrality.
Federation Council Speaker and Chair of the Council of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Valentina Matvienko addressed the first meeting of the heads of parliament of the member countries of the Group of Friends of Neutrality. Held via videoconference, the event was sponsored by the Mejlis of Turkmenistan. The theme was “The Role of Parliamentary Cooperation in Strengthening Peace and Dialogue.”
The Speaker praised the Turkmenistani leadership’s efforts to coordinate the activities of the Group of Friends of Neutrality: “Russia has the utmost respect for the policy of neutrality proclaimed by Turkmenistan as the foundation of its foreign policy.”
Valentina Matvienko recalled that Ashgabat regularly hosts major international forums, including parliamentary ones. “It is the capital of Turkmenistan that launched the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of Central Asian Countries and Russia. There are plans to hold it regularly in the so-called Ashgabat format with support from Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow,” she said.
According to Speaker Matvienko, stability and security are ever more important, as the multipolar international order comes into being. “Parliaments, which in many respects perform a stabilising function within the entire system of international relations, are largely playing the crucial role in this regard,” she said.
“The Russian Federation is conscious of its responsibility for maintaining peace and security at the global and regional levels. Russia’s foreign policy is open, predictable, consistent and pragmatic. In implementing this policy, we are guided by respect for the generally recognised principles and standards of international law and aspirations for equitable international cooperation. It is of great importance for us to maintain stability and a conflict-free space in the key regions of the planet,” Valentina Matvienko said.
She stressed that Russia had a vested interest in forming the Greater Eurasian Partnership as a space for cooperation and interaction between like-minded partners, where different integration processes will be aligned. “It is on this basis that our country has built relations with all states in the post-Soviet space, including Ukraine whose constitution proclaims the principle of neutrality,” she said.
Valentina Matvienko drew attention to the use of sanctions against members of national parliaments and the creation of obstacles to normal participation of parliamentary delegations in the work of international organisations. “This runs counter to the fundamental principles of democracy, interferes with parliamentarians’ productive activities internationally, and undermines the foundations of mutual trust, stability and security,” she said.
According to Valentina Matvienko, it is a responsible act to proclaim neutrality and create trust and equal security, rather than divides. “In today’s world, it takes a special disposition and firmness to remain a truly neutral state, such as Turkmenistan.”
In this connection, she said that the ideological basis of the Group of Friends of Neutrality was fully in line with the spirit and letter of the UN Charter, its goals and principles. “The Russian parliament is in favour of strict compliance with the generally recognised principles and standards of international law and the strengthening of the global security architecture, given the central coordinating role of the United Nations,” she said.
She noted how important this is amid the attempts by destructive forces to minimise the role of the UN in international affairs and build a so-called rules-based order, where there is no sovereign equality of states and where some countries think they have the right to decide the destiny of others.
Valentina Matvienko noted the potential of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter created by Venezuela in 2021 and urged everyone to work together to bring about a fair international system.
She recalled Russian parliamentarians’ regular appeals for peace and stability in their work with foreign colleagues and international inter-parliamentary organisations. “This year, the Russian parliament is organising several major international events, including the BRICS Parliamentary Forum in July and the fourth Eurasian Women’s Forum in September, when we will discuss the broadest possible range of issues related to women’s participation in the economy, politics, and public life,” Valentina Matvienko added.
In her greetings to the participants in the meeting, Chairman of the Assembly Dunyagozel Gulmanowa noted that peace-loving and positive neutrality was the foundation of her country’s foreign policy. “Turkmenistan’s parliamentary diplomacy is successfully carried out in keeping with the legal status of neutrality. It is achieved by establishing bilateral and multilateral relations with parliaments of foreign countries and participating in the work of international parliamentary organisations. This is an important tool to support our neutral state’s international initiatives,” she said.
The meeting was addressed by Special Representative of the UN Secretary- General for Central Asia Kaha Imnadze, Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova, Deputy Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Nurlanbek Azygaliyev, Speaker of Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Ghana Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Sholban Kara-ool, as well as parliamentarians of the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Morocco, and the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China Zhao Leji, and Chairman of Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Norbaeva greeted participants in video addresses.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, and Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin.
The Group of Friends of Neutrality for Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development is an informal association of UN member-countries created at the initiative of Turkmenistan. The Group positions itself as a venue for promoting multilateral dialogue on practical issues related to following the principles of neutrality with the purpose of preventing conflicts, addressing their root causes and consequences, and dealing with humanitarian problems.
As of today, the Group of Friends of Neutrality includes 26 member-countries, five of which joined it only in 2023.