The Federation Council Speaker discussed interparliamentary ties with President of the Senate of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Thailand Pornpetch Wichitcholchai.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko met with President of the Senate of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Thailand Pornpetch Wichitcholchai. Their conversation focused on the expansion of interparliamentary ties.
The Federation Council Speaker pointed out that Russia-Thailand ties were based on centuries-old traditions of mutual respect and trust. “We highly value Thailand’s independent stand on the international stage,” Valentina Matvienko noted.
The two officials mentioned the progress of political dialogue at the top level.
According to Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, regular visits by the two countries’ delegations were evidence of friendly bilateral relations.
The Federation Council Speaker praised the effective operation of interparliamentary mechanisms, the interaction of Russian and Thai MPs on the sidelines of multilateral platforms and their regular meetings. “We will continue to coordinate our efforts at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), the ASEAN Interparliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and other platforms,” Valentina Matvienko said.
She noted the parliamentary friendship groups’ contribution to the strengthening of bilateral relations. Valentina Matvienko recalled that the Federation Council’s group for cooperation with the National Assembly of Thailand was established in March 2023 and was currently chaired by First Deputy Federation Council Speaker Andrey Yatskin. Regarding the further development of parliamentary ties, she proposed signing an agreement on cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of Thailand’s National Assembly. “It is important to strengthen the legal framework of our bilateral relations,” the Federation Council Speaker added.
Valentina Matvienko also emphasised the potential of Russian-Thai inter-regional cooperation for the further development of bilateral economic relations.
The Speaker noted the Thai delegates’ active contribution to Eurasian women’s forums organised under the umbrella of the Federation Council and invited them to the 4th Eurasian Women’s Forum in September 2024 in St Petersburg.
The meeting participants also discussed education, tourism and youth affairs. The Federation Council Speaker pointed out that participation in major events such as the Games of the Future and the World Youth Festival promoted friendship and an exchange of experience between young people.
Valentina Matvienko and Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said that the Year of Cultural and Tourism Exchanges between Thailand and Russia, underway in 2024, would help enrich bilateral relations.
First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Andrey Yatskin, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin, First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrey Denisov also attended the meeting.