The Federation Council Speaker and the President of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament discussed prospects for cooperation.
Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko held a meeting with President of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO) Rolando Miguel González Patricio.
The Federation Council Speaker noted that Rolando Miguel González Patricio has visited Russia on numerous occasions and participated, including when serving as Chair of a PARLATINO Commission, in the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in St Petersburg.
“The Federation Council and PARLATINO have a positive track record of cooperation. Thirteen years ago, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Latin American Parliament. Senator Andrey Klishas, who heads the Federation Council’s friendship group with Latin American countries, has played an active role in establishing and developing contacts between the Russian parliament and PARLATINO.”
Valentina Matvienko emphasised the importance of resuming dialogue after the pause caused by the position of the previous PARLATINO leadership. “We hope the intensity of the interparliamentary interaction will only grow,” she said.
Rolando Miguel González Patricio noted that parliamentary diplomacy can help address many challenges and expressed the view that the positions of Russia and PARLATINO countries largely coincide.
According to the Speaker of the Federation Council, senators are interested in expanding comprehensive cooperation with Latin American partners.“We are united by respect for the fundamental principles of international law, the central role of the United Nations in the system of interstate relations, the aspiration to enhance the role of the Global South in world affairs, and a firm rejection of neocolonial practices.”
Valentina Matvienko, in her capacity as Chair of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Countries of the CIS, noted that PARLATINO also has a cooperation agreement with the IPA CIS. She invited Rolando Miguel González Patricio to take part in the Assembly’s spring session events in St Petersburg in May.
The President of PARLATINO reaffirmed that the IPA CIS platform could serve as an important avenue for cooperation.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Grigory Karasin, and Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrey Klishas.