The Senator reviewed the Russian delegation’s participation in the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Australia.
The 28th session of the APPF has ended in the city of Canberra (Australia). This is one of the most prestigious and authoritative international parliamentary forums. This year it took place as part of Australia’s APPF Presidency. The participants focused on the need to pool efforts in countering terrorism, promoting political and economic cooperation, digital transformation, countering cyber threats and promoting gender equality.
Commenting on the outcomes of the session, the head of the Russian parliamentary delegation and Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachyov, said the forum took place in an atmosphere of constructive cooperation and Russia certainly made a productive contribution.
“The participants signed a joint communique and passed 19 resolutions. Russia submitted four draft resolutions. Two of them, on the essential subjects of promoting peace, security and sustainable development in the region and on countering terrorism, were adopted by the forum in the Russian version. We co-sponsored resolutions on trade and economic cooperation and gender issues,” Mr Kosachyov said.
He emphasised the adoption by consensus of the Russian draft resolution on enhancing peace and security in the Asia-Pacific Region that sets forth the fundamental principles of the indivisibility of security, rule of international law, peaceful settlement of conflicts and renunciation of the use of force.
“The Russian initiative to hold a conference on inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue on 21 May 2022 in Russia that was earlier approved by the UN General Assembly and the Inter-Parliamentary Union received near unanimous support. We also managed to maintain the provisions on recognising the Victory over Nazism in World War II as the world heritage of humanity and designating the monuments to fighters against Nazism in all countries as a World Memorial of Humanity,” the Senator emphasised.
Mr Kosachyov also pointed out that the resolution on trade and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region, co-sponsored by Russia, Australia, Cambodia, Japan and Vietnam, reaffirms the importance and the leading role of a universal, ruled-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, inclusive and fair multilateral trade system that rests on WTO principles.
“The text contains the important idea of removing barriers in different areas of trade and economic cooperation. The resolution on gender issues reads that it is unacceptable to impose sanctions on essential goods, such as medications and food. It emphasises the importance of enhancing the role of women in preserving the traditional family values of maternity and childhood and urges parliaments in the Asia-Pacific Region to send delegates to the third Eurasian Women’s Forum that is scheduled for Russia in September 2021,” Mr Kosachyov said.
He noted that the Russian delegation informed those at the session of Russia’s positions on enhancing the role of parliaments in maintaining peace, security and prosperity in the region, countering the sources of radicalisation, and promoting cooperation in enhancing cyber security, as well as countering climate change, promoting regional cultural diversity and tourism and facilitating sustainable development.
On the final day of the forum the Russian delegation met with the Chair of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee of the Australian Senate Kim Carr, and his Deputy Amanda Stoker. They discussed issues of statehood, national policy and the functioning of the federative system. They also had a detailed exchange of opinion on the presidency as an institution, the mechanism for the cooperation of regional government bodies with the federal centre, the functioning of the internet and social media in Russia, as well as the need to counter attempts to falsify history and revive Fascism.
The 29th session of the APPF will take place in the Republic of Korea in January 2021.