Speaker of the Federation Council and Chairwoman of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States has chaired IPA CIS 57th Plenary Session.
The Interparliamentary Assembly’s commissions have worked hard on model laws and drafted 21 documents before submitting them for approval to the 57th IPA CIS plenary session. In total, IPA CIS has so far prepared over 700 model laws and other documents, Chairwoman of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States and Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko said.
IPA documents governing the election process in its various aspects feature prominently among these acts and regulations, the Federation Council Speaker pointed out, saying, “They are more than just pieces of legislation, since they set forth a model that can be taken on board by the national parliaments. They can also serve a practical purpose when dealing with regulating international observer missions within the CIS, since they always take part in monitoring elections across the Commonwealth.”
This year marks 30years since IPA CIS started working on this agenda. In recent years, members of parliament have been working closely with the CIS Executive Committee on these matters. “Considering today’s geopolitical environment, this has been quite a relevant topic for our countries,” Valentina Matvienko said.
She went on to say that during their meeting in Moscow on 8 October, CIS leaders welcomed the Interparliamentary Assembly’s efforts to promote and strengthen integration and cooperation across the CIS.
The Federation Council Speaker also mentioned the Address by IPA CIS Council adopted by heads of parliamentary delegations in connection with the 80th anniversary of Victory in the 1941−1945 Great Patriotic War. “As we approach this anniversary, we call on all countries around the world, as well as international organisations and the international community to use it as an opportunity to promote mutual understanding and cooperation in international affairs, and speak out in favour of resolving conflicts by peaceful means and advocating parliamentary diplomacy at this historical juncture,” she noted, adding that the CIS has designated 2025 as the Year of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War – Year of Peace and Unity in Fighting Nazism. On this occasion, members of Parliament are expected to undertake a wide range of important initiatives aimed at preserving the historical memory.
Valentina Matvienko also reported on the recent resolutions by the IPA CIS Council, which included granting observer status to the Asian Parliamentary Assembly, the Central American Parliament, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross. “Other organisations have been showing interest in our work, so it is our duty to support steps aimed at strengthening international multilateral cooperation,” the Federation Council Speaker said.
The IPA CIS Council’s decisions included establishing an Expert Council on Culture within the assembly’s structure. “This constitutes yet another step towards building up IPA’s expert potential for improving our performance when drafting model documents and streamlining our legislative activities in general,” IPA CIS Council’s Chairwoman pointed out.
In addition to this, the Federation Council Speaker stressed the importance of the conventions and forums held by IPA CIS, including the 9th Children of the Commonwealth Cultural and Educational Forum in Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan, the 4th Eurasian Women’s Forum, the Commonwealth Travel Hub International Tourism Forum in Tajikistan, as well as the Commonwealth of Fashion Forum.
“Overall, the Assembly has done a great deal over the past year and was useful and results-driven in its efforts, with all the important and interesting events on its agenda. And the IPA has an even grander vision for its future undertakings, and we will combine our efforts to deliver on these plans,” the Federation Council Speaker emphasised.
Chairwoman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Milli Mejlis, Sahiba Gafarova said that cooperation within IPA CIS has been an effective mechanism for promoting partnerships among the CIS countries. “These efforts make a meaningful contribution to promoting cooperation across various domains. I am convinced that the Interparliamentary Assembly offers a unique platform for benefiting from parliamentary diplomacy to the best of our ability,” she noted, adding that mutual respect and trust were the core principles for ensuring consistent progress in expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation within the CIS.
Speaker of Jogorku Kenesh, i.e., the Supreme Council of the Kyrgyz Republic, Nurlanbek Shakiev stressed that IPA CIS is a major institution within the CIS in terms of promoting interparliamentary cooperation and adopting model laws. “Speakers of parliament from CIS countries who contribute to the Assembly’s work have made a meaningful contribution to developing and promoting our cooperation. The CIS has enjoyed growing recognition on the international stage and succeeded in consolidating this standing,” he said.
Speaker of the Majlisi Milli, the National Assembly of the Republic of Tajikistan, Rustami Emomali, said that he viewed the CIS as a well-established international body. “We must credit IPA CIS for this achievement. Tajikistan is committed to working together on our agenda in all its aspects. We believe in taking effective and results-oriented decisions within IPA and promoting constructive cooperation as a path to delivering on this vision,” he pointed out, before briefing the participants about Tajikistan’s upcoming CIS chairmanship in 2025.
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The agenda focused on the role of international observers in electoral processes in terms of promoting democracy and defending state sovereignty in CIS countries.
Valentina Matvienko said that international monitoring of elections and referendums across the CIS has made great strides in its development as an institution in recent years. Its members have set forth universal standards for holding democratic elections and enabling international observers to monitor them, as stipulated by the Convention on Standards for Democratic Elections, Electoral Rights in CIS Member Nations, as well as the Declaration of the Interparliamentary Assembly of CIS Member Nations on Principles Governing the International Monitoring of Elections and Referendums.
“These instruments create a framework for the CIS Observer Mission and the IPA Group of International Observers, as well as another permanent structure called the International Institute for Monitoring Democracy Development, Parliamentarianism and Suffrage Protection of Citizens of IPA CIS Member Nations. The Heads of State Council has always praised the Assembly for its efforts in this domain,” the Chairwoman of the IPA CIS Council stressed.
She went on to emphasise the importance of ensuring electoral sovereignty for CIS countries, while also guaranteeing that election observers who are honest and impartial in their efforts are not subject to any pressure or harassment. Valentina Matvienko suggested devising a single mechanism for guaranteeing safety for international election observers and to execute a multilateral document to this effect.
Speaker of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Senate, Maulen Ashimbaev, shared his conviction that the plenary session would make a meaningful contribution to deepening cooperation and harmonising laws across the CIS. “Apart from facilitating closer political, economic and humanitarian contacts, the CIS serves as an effective platform for promoting electoral standards and defending the electoral rights of our citizens. Therefore, efforts to monitor elections and referendums remain one of the most important aspects of cooperation among CIS countries. The International Institute for Monitoring Democracy Development, Parliamentarianism and Suffrage Protection of Citizens of IPA CIS Member Nations has established itself as an important and integral element of the election processes across the CIS space,” he said.
Speaker of the Oliy Majlis, the Senate of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tanzila Narbaeva, said that election monitoring was a timely and topical theme for Uzbekistan considering the recent parliamentary election in this country. “International election monitoring serves as a key tool in promoting democracy and its principles, as well as ensuring transparency of electoral processes. This gives special importance to cooperation in this sector. Today, IPA CIS plays a pivotal role in promoting democratic values, parliamentarism and developing the civil society through its efforts to strengthen the friendship and mutual understanding between our nations,” she pointed out.
The senators of the Russian Federation took the floor to speak on specific items on the agenda of the IPA meeting.
Member of the IPA CIS Permanent Commission on Practices of State-Building and Local Government, and member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Oleg Tsepkin presented a document titled Recommendations for Monitoring E-Voting.
Member of the IPA CIS Permanent Commission on Practices of State-Building and Local Government, and Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Parliamentary Governance Alexander Savin presented recommendations for local government entities in terms of supporting people during pandemics.
Chair of the IPA CIS Permanent Commission on Science and Education, Chair of the Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Science, Education and Culture Lilia Gumerova presented the updated version of the model law titled Scientific and Technical Activities, as well as the model law titled Special-Purpose Funds for Promoting Science, Technology and Innovation.
Head of the ICRC’s Regional Delegation for the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus Boris Michel, Chair of the Permanent Commission of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus on International Affairs and National Security Sergei Aleinik, and First Deputy Secretary General of the CIS Leonid Anfimov also took the floor during the meeting.
Governor of St Petersburg Alexander Beglov sent a video message to the participants of the meeting to offer them his greetings.
During the meeting, Valentina Matvienko and Nurlanbek Shakiev presented the CIS IPA Chingiz Aitmatov Prize to Mehriban Alakbarzadeh, Artistic Director of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre.
There was also an award ceremony to distinguish those who proactively contributed to the work of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly.