PACE must provide a platform for joint constructive activities, Valentina Matvienko pointed out.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko held a meeting with President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Rik Daems.
“The Parliamentary Assembly has the potential to attain the main goal of the Council of Europe, which is greater unity in the name of upholding and promoting the ideals and principles we hold in common. We are ready to move towards this goal together,” Valentina Matvienko said. “My colleagues in the Russian delegation at PACE say that you are an energetic and active politician who is trying to increase the efficiency of the Assembly. We appreciate your resolve to maintain a constructive dialogue with Russia based on respect,” the Federation Council Speaker noted in her welcome remarks.
She pointed out that this year marked 25 years since Russia became a member of the Council of Europe. “The country has joined nearly 70 conventions and other legal regulations of the Council of Europe. We are making a considerable contribution to its work in the priority areas. A great deal has been done to improve legislation and law enforcement practice,” Valentina Matvienko said, adding that she hoped the PACE President’s visit would help strengthen ties between Russia and the Council of Europe.
She noted that the fight against the coronavirus infection was one of the main issues that call for priority attention and joint efforts. “Politicking is unacceptable when the point at issue is people’s health and lives. We must unite our resources to defeat this disease.”
The Federation Council Speaker gave an update on Russia’s vaccination progress and said that Russia was willing to share its vaccines with other countries. “We are open to such cooperation, including when it comes to vaccination. The report and recommendations Senator Vladimir Krugly is preparing are aimed at this goal as well,” she pointed out.
Valentina Matvienko mentioned the importance of cooperative efforts against cybercrime and the formulation of common regulations for IT companies. She also emphasised the problems of Russian speakers in the Baltics and Ukraine.
“We have always believed in the unifying potential of PACE, understanding that the Assembly can and must provide a venue for dialogue based on mutual respect and for a joint search for solutions to our common problems,” she noted.
The Federation Council Speaker also pointed out the unacceptable efforts to rewrite the history of WWII and the dangerous attempts to revive neo-Nazism in Europe.
The event was attended by Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Iliyas Umakhanov, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev, First Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Sergei Kislyak and Chief of the Executive Office of the Federation Council Gennady Golov.