IPA CIS Delegation Attended 152nd Assembly of Inter Parliamentary Union in Istanbul

A delegation of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS took part in the 152^nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Istanbul.

The IPA CIS was represented by Chair of the IPA CIS Budget Oversight Commission, Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Daniyar Tolonov, Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the IPA CIS Council Alexey Dolzhikov, and Head of the Expert and Analytical Department Denis Zhuk.

The main theme of the Assembly was "Nurturing Hope, Securing Peace and Ensuring Justice for Future Generations". The event brought together 157 delegations and more than 800 MPs, including heads of 77 parliaments.

Among the participants were Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Koshanov, Toraga of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic Marlen Mamataliyev, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan Faizali Idizoda, and Speaker of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva.

Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council Valentina Matvienko held talks with Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova. The parties discussed key issues of bilateral and international cooperation. Valentina Matvienko noted the strong potential of Russian-Azerbaijani relations, while Sahiba Gafarova conveyed greetings from President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and reaffirmed commitment to strengthening cooperation.

On the sidelines of the Assembly, a meeting was held with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, attended by Daniyar Tolonov and Dmitriy Kobitskiy. The discussion focused on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 5 June 2019, aimed at expert cooperation in developing model legislation in line with international standards for the protection of asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons. The UN High Commissioner highly appreciated the IPA CIS contribution to harmonization of national legislation of CIS Member Nations.

Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy also held a series of meetings with members of the IPA CIS Council, including Sahiba Gafarova, Alen Simonyan, and Yerlan Koshanov, focusing on preparations for upcoming events of the IPA CIS spring session.

He additionally met with Chair of the Committee of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan on International Affairs, Defence and Security, Chair of the IPA CIS Permanent Commission on Political Issues and International Cooperation Aigul Kuspan, as well as Chair of the Standing Commission on International Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic of Belarus Sergey Aleinik and Chair of the Standing Commission of the House of Representatives of Belarus on International Affairs Sergey Rachkov.

Preparations for the IPA CIS spring session scheduled for 21-22 May at the organization's headquarters were also discussed with Chair of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of the Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan Faizali Idizoda and Chair of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbayeva.

A meeting was also held with President of the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO) Rolando González Patricio, where prospects for future cooperation were discussed, including participation in upcoming IPA CIS events.