Her messages were addressed to the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, heads of the chambers of parliament of CIS and BRICS member states, and several friendly nations.
In her letters to parliamentary leaders from the CIS, BRICS, and a number of friendly states, Valentina Matvienko reaffirmed her commitment to further expanding bilateral ties and enhancing inter-parliamentary cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats.
According to the Federation Council Speaker, parliamentary diplomacy is becoming increasingly important amid growing global instability. It serves as a tool for enhancing the effectiveness of the system of international relations in the interests of building a just multipolar world and addressing pressing global and regional challenges.
In her message of greetings to Natalya Kochanova, Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Valentina Matvienko noted that the 13th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia held last week once again demonstrated the strength of Russia-Belarus relations and their immense potential for further progress.
Addressing Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, the Federation Council Speaker expressed her commitment to continuing close cooperation with her Chinese colleagues in order to enhance bilateral ties and further expand strategic collaboration at international platforms, including the BRICS Parliamentary Forum.
In her message to Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan, Vice President of the Republic of India and Chairperson of Council of States (Rajya Sabha) of the Indian Parliament, Valentina Matvienko expressed confidence that India’s current BRICS chairmanship will help promote responsible and constructive global partnership among the organisation’s member states.
In her greetings to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Federation Council Speaker reaffirmed her unwavering commitment to the further practical development of bilateral parliamentary dialogue, contributing to enhancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Iran.
In a message to Tulia Ackson, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Valentina Matvienko noted that the establishment of the International Day of Parliamentarism in 2018, a joint initiative by the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (IPA CIS) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), served as a recognition of the special role of parliaments in strengthening international cooperation.
The initiative to establish the professional holiday was originally put forward by Russian parliamentarians and subsequently supported by their colleagues within the IPA CIS. The initiative was later endorsed by members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union during the 137th IPU Assembly, held in St Petersburg in October 2017. The United Nations General Assembly officially adopted the resolution establishing the International Day of Parliamentarism in May 2018.