The First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council and the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Benin discussed matters related to invigorating bilateral inter-parliamentary ties.
First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Nikolai Fedorov and Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Benin Louis Vlavonou held a working meeting. First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Agriculture and Food Policy and Environmental Management Sergei Mitin also took part in the event.
“The friendly Russia-Benin relations hinge on the principles of mutual respect, similar approaches towards matters of creating an equitable world order, ensuring security and creating equal conditions for the development of all states. We perceive Benin as Russia’s important partner in the West Africa region,” the First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council noted.
On behalf of the Russian side, Nikolai Fedorov thanked Benin for supporting draft Russian resolutions at the UN, as well as during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and Russian candidacies during elections to international agencies.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Benin showed great interest in various aspects of the Federation Council’s activities, including law-making and organisational-technical work. The sides noted mutual Russia-Benin points of contact, including the fight against international crime and terrorism. “We have a positive opinion of Benin’s peacekeeping activities on the African continent,” Nikolai Fedorov pointed out.
The participants in the meeting noted the need for invigorating bilateral inter-parliamentary ties. The participation of Benin’s representatives in the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in St. Petersburg and the creation of the Benin-Russia Friendship Group at the National Assembly of the Republic of Benin in November 2017 became important steps in this direction. The sides also said that the implementation of joint projects can help expand trade and economic cooperation still further.
The sides prioritised various prospects for expanding cultural and humanitarian contacts. Nikolai Fedorov said that 60 federal-budget scholarships had been allocated for enrolling students from Benin at Russian higher education institutions in 2020. The Russian Interior Ministry is also ready to train specialists at its education institutions. “In addition to this, we are ready to study the possibility of increasing the quota for students from Benin at Russian institutions of higher education,” the First Deputy Speaker noted.
In turn, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Benin thanked the Russian side for its major contribution to training skilled specialists in all fields.
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Cecilia Bottino noted that relations between Russia and Uruguay were developing at top level. She expressed hope that the leaders of the Russian Parliament would also visit Uruguay in the near future.
In turn, Daniel Caggiani called for an expanded inter-parliamentary dialogue. He noted that members of the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur) shared the main principles of international law and thanked Russia for its non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign Latin American states.
During their conversation, the sides discussed matters of trade and economic cooperation, as well as topical items of the international agenda.
Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building and Head of the Federation Council’s Group for Cooperation with the Parliaments of Latin American Countries Andrei Klishas and Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachov took part in the talks.