Senators note that the format of joint meetings of the relevant committees of the upper houses of the parliaments of Russia and Kazakhstan has worked well.
A joint meeting of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, the Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Defence and Security of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan took place in Kazan.
The participants discussed the current situation in the Central Asian Region, the coordination of work in international parliamentary organisations, the infrastructural development of checkpoints on the Russian-Kazakh border and issues regarding the preservation of the ecosystem of the Ural River.
Opening the meeting, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security Viktor Bondarev noted the traditionally intensive nature of developing interaction, strategic partnership and alliance between Russia and Kazakhstan.
“Russian-Kazakhstani relations are at a high level. The dialogue between parliamentarians of the two countries also contributes to this,” Viktor Bondarev said.
The parliamentarian expressed appreciation for the results of international meetings and talks on the Syrian political settlement as part of the Astana process. According to Bondarev, they are the internationally recognised contribution of Kazakhstan to the political settlement of the Syrian process.
The senator pointed out that security issues are becoming a priority in Russian-Kazakhstani cooperation. “The growth of terrorism, extremism, illegal arms trafficking and drug trafficking are present-day threats that roam the world, expanding the geography of their habitat. We should fight them together. And here the development of model legislative acts is also an important component,” said Viktor Bondarev.
Chairman of the Senate Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Kul-Muhammed emphasised that ties between Kazakhstan and Russia are at present not just strategic partnership, but very good-neighbourly and trusting relations.
First Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Vladimir Dzhabarov noted that the format of joint meetings of the relevant committees of the upper houses of the parliaments of Russia and Kazakhstan has proven its worth in terms of “time check” on key topics of bilateral cooperation, including in the interregional sphere.
According to Vladimir Dzhabarov, amid a difficult situation in the world economy, interregional ties, backed by the Eurasian Economic Union’s capacity, will contribute to the stability of the two countries’ economies.
In the senator’s opinion, carrying out tasks to ensure sustainable economic growth and improve the welfare of Russia and Kazakhstan is impossible without ensuring security, without protecting the Eurasian space from international terrorism, from interference in the internal affairs of the states and attempts to “rock” the domestic political situation in the interests of external players.
“The examples of Hong Kong, Bolivia, Venezuela, and earlier, many countries of the Middle East and Ukraine, show us the results of these attempts: everywhere they led to the undermining or weakening of statehood, economic collapse and the growth of crime. I am convinced that the coordinated foreign policy of our countries, including at international parliamentary venues, will allow us to effectively counter the threats imposed on us. I cannot but express gratitude to Kazakhstan for understanding and supporting Russia’s position in the UN,” the parliamentarian said.
At the joint meeting, the Russian side was represented by Vyacheslav Timchenko, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on House Rules and Parliamentary Governance, Vladimir Kozhin and Alexander Rakitin, First Deputy Chairs of the Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security, Bair Zhamsuyev, Alexei Orlov and Oleg Morozov, members of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, and Oleg Tsepkin, member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building.