Eurasian Integration Issues Discussed at Tavricheskiy Palace

A round table entitled "Russia and Eurasian Integration in a Multipolar World" was held at the headquarters of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS. The event brought together representatives of the parliaments of CIS Member Nations, academia and educational institutions.

The round table was organised by the IPA CIS, the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on International Affairs and the Faculty of World Politics of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov.

Secretary General of the Council of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Dmitriy Kobitskiy addressed participants with a welcoming message. He stressed that interstate integration cannot be effective without taking into account the characteristics of political systems, the interests and opinions of citizens, and their participation in public life.

According to the Secretary General, the Assembly also possesses considerable potential for further development. In his message, read out by Deputy Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat - Director of the International Institute for Monitoring the Democracy Development, Parliamentarianism and Suffrage Protection of Citizens of IPA CIS Member Nations (IPA CIS IIMDD), Doctor of Law, Professor Ivan Mushket, it was noted that strengthening the role of parliaments in international relations, expanding areas of cooperation and introducing new forms of interaction create additional opportunities for deepening integration processes in the multipolar world.

Chair of the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky noted that cooperation among countries of the region continues to develop despite external pressure and changes in the international environment. He highlighted the importance of parliamentary cooperation as well as the role of integration organisations and institutions across Greater Eurasia.

Speaking at the round table Ivan Mushket focused on international election and referendum observation. He noted that monitoring missions facilitate the exchange of experience and the development of common approaches that contribute to integration processes across the Commonwealth.

According to Ivan Mushket, election monitoring is an impartial and non-politicised process aimed at comprehensively assessing the conditions under which citizens exercise their electoral rights. He added that international observer missions, which bring together representatives of different CIS Member Nations, help maintain dialogue and strengthen professional and personal ties throughout the region.

The round table was also attended by Rector of Saint Petersburg State University of Economics, Chair of the IPA CIS Expert Advisory Board on Economy Igor Maksimtsev.