The Federation Council Speaker attends the opening ceremony of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko took part in the opening ceremony of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament.
The conference is taking place in Vienna. It was organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in cooperation with the United Nations and the Austrian Parliament. MPs from 115 countries, including 103 national parliament speakers, are attending the forum. IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong opened the plenary session.
Valentina Matvienko will take part in the interactive general debate on global response measures to the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Russian parliamentary delegation will be part of themed discussions on sustainable development, gender equality, combating disinformation and hate speech, parliamentary control over the emergency measures taken by governments, and a panel discussion on the role of parliaments in global governance.
“The IPU-sponsored World Conference of Speakers of Parliament is a major and significant event in the international parliamentary system,” Ms Matvienko told journalists. “These conferences take place once every five years. The IPU and the Austrian Parliament have done a lot to hold this conference in person. This is very important. Nothing can replace personal communication and contact,” she said.
Ms Matvienko said the conference has raised very serious and topical issues. “Parliamentary interaction has always been important. It is particularly needed in today’s turbulent world. Vienna has created all conditions for a productive dialogue and ensured the top level of representation. This testifies to the interest of the parliament speakers from different countries in communicating, discussing problems and finding solutions,” she said.
Ms Matvienko expressed confidence that the conference’s final document would reflect the aspirations and concerns of all people in the world. “It will include recommendations on countering new challenged and threats,” she said.
The conference is also attended by Federation Council vice-speakers Galina Karelova and Konstantin Kosachev, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Grigory Karasin and Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Lilia Gumerova.