Russian senators met with Murat Baybatur, Deputy of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye and Chair of the Türkiye-Russia Friendship Group
Deputy Federation Council Speaker Konstantin Kosachev chaired the meeting.
The Deputy Speaker noted the high level of organisation of the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul and the attention shown to the Russian delegation. He stressed in particular that, on the sidelines of the forum, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko met with President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and held detailed talks with Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmus.
“During the Assembly, Russian senators worked in a coordinated manner and in close contact with the Turkish delegation on the majority of issues, including draft resolutions,” the Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council said.
According to Konstantin Kosachev, a delegation of the Turkish parliament visited Russia at the invitation of the Federation Council’s Group for Cooperation with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye just days after the conclusion of the Assembly in Istanbul. “This shows that we remain in constant contact. This corresponds to the highly intensive and substantive agenda of bilateral Russia-Türkiye relations, in which parliamentary engagement plays a significant role,” Konstantin Kosachev said.
“We are interested in taking the existing cooperation between our friendship groups to a higher level. To this end, it is necessary to launch the Interparliamentary Commission,” he added.
Murat Baybatur expressed gratitude for the warm reception in Russia and noted the productive work during the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Istanbul.
Murat Baybatur emphasised that parliamentary diplomacy plays a key role in strengthening bilateral relations.
“Of course, there are issues on which our positions differ, but there are far more where our views are close or coincide. This helps us to deepen and improve our relations,” the Chair of the Group for Friendship with Russia at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye said. He noted the commitment of his colleagues to work towards expanding bilateral trade.
Participants in the meeting included Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy and Head of the Federation Council’s Group for Cooperation with the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Murat Khapsirokov; Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture Yelena Pisareva; Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on the Budget and Financial Markets Akhmat Salpagarov; Deputy Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Agriculture and Food Policy and Environmental Management Belan Khamchiev; and Federation Council members Nadezhda Ilyina, Artur Kohoyev and Vadim Sokolov.
Within the framework of cooperation between friendship groups, Russian and Turkish MPs coordinated their positions on parliamentary schedules for visits, as well as cooperation in combating extremism, drug trafficking and cybercrime.
Summing up the meeting, Chair of the Group for Friendship with Russia at the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Murat Baybatur noted that particular emphasis had been placed on interregional cooperation.
“Constituent entities of the Russian Federation are interested in economic cooperation and engagement with the Republic of Türkiye. Turkish parliamentarians interact with us constructively, listen to us, and are genuinely ready to cooperate not only in words but in deeds,” Murat Khapsirokov said.