The Senator chaired a meeting of the group on cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Lyudmila Skakovskaya chaired a meeting of the group on cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe. The meeting was conducted via videoconference.
The Senator observed that the two nations have established a stable and trust-based political dialogue, significantly contributing to the enhancement of bilateral interparliamentary relations. Lyudmila Skakovskaya highlighted the meeting held earlier this year between Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko and President of the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe Mabel Chinomona on the sidelines of the Fourth Eurasian Women's Forum, as well as the signing in 2023 of the Agreement on Cooperation between the Federation Council and the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe, as notable events.
James Makamba, Head of the Group on Cooperation between the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Federation Council, asserted that interparliamentary dialogue aids in fortifying relations between the two nations. ”Our collaboration across various domains is founded on shared values and mutual respect. Communication among parliament members establishes the groundwork for mutual growth and the exchange of best practices.“
A significant topic of discussion was cooperation in the educational sector. ”In the 2023/24 academic year, over 400 citizens of the Republic of Zimbabwe pursued higher education programmes at Russian universities,“ stated Lyudmila Skakovskaya, emphasising the necessity to ratify the intergovernmental agreement on the mutual recognition of education, qualifications, and academic degrees to enhance cooperation.
The Senator also noted that the end of 2023 saw the inauguration of a joint project office for the Centre for Mineral Research at the University of Zimbabwe. She believes the centre will facilitate fundamental and scientific research for the advancement of Zimbabwe's mineral sector, develop the nation's scientific and human resources potential, and benefit countries within the African region.
The participants acknowledged the active cooperation between Russian and Zimbabwean universities through the Russian-African Network University. Currently, out of the 31 African organisations participating in it, 11 are Zimbabwean universities.
The discussion was also attended by Member of the Federation Council Committee on Defence and Security Dmitry Perminov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Zimbabwe Nikolai Krasilnikov, Deputy Director of the Africa Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Andrey Stolyarov, and Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia Nikolay Kudryavtsev.