All news

Federation Council head: Russia’s role and influence in the world have considerably grown

It is impossible to solve any regional or serious international problem without Russia’s participation, Valentina Matviyenko says
Russia's Federation Council chairperson Valentina Matviyenko Russian Federation Council press service
Russia's Federation Council chairperson Valentina Matviyenko
© Russian Federation Council press service

MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. Russia’s role and influence in the world have considerably grown, Federation Council chairperson Valentina Matviyenko said on Wednesday.

"Russia’s role and influence in the world have considerably grown," Matviyenko said at the meeting with representatives of the house of young lawmakers at the Federation Council. "It is impossible to solve any regional or serious international problem without Russia’s participation," she noted adding that "this is a fact recognized in the world."

She stressed that "the world attentively listens to what the Russian leader has to say" since "Russia is carrying out an independent and principled foreign policy." Matviyenko reminded that Russian foreign policy is based on international law, supports indivisible security and fair world order and does not allow interference into internal affairs of sovereign countries. "Such policy is gaining more and more recognition and appreciation in the world," she stressed.

Matviyenko stressed that "thanks to Russia’s independent, balanced, open and principal position many issues are solved in the way that Russia promotes in its foreign policy." She said elimination of chemical weapons in Syria serves as a great example of that. "Just imagine for one minute if this had not been done at a certain point what kind of threat it could have presented in the hands of ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — former name of the Islamic State terrorist organization] today not only for the region but for the whole world," the Federation Council chairperson said.

On January 4 the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announced the completion of the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons. "Veolia, the US firm contracted by the OPCW to dispose of part of the Syrian chemical weapons stockpile, has completed disposal of 75 cylinders of hydrogen fluoride at its facility in Texas," the organization said on its website.

"This completes destruction of all chemical weapons declared by the Syrian Arab Republic. The need to devise a technical solution for treating a number of cylinders in a deteriorated and hazardous condition had delayed the disposal process," OPCW said. "This process closes an important chapter in the elimination of Syria's chemical weapon programme as we continue efforts to clarify Syria's declaration and address ongoing use of toxic chemicals as weapons in that country," the organization quoted Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu as saying.