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Putin to have traditional meeting with parliamentarians

The participants in the meeting could discuss both the results of legislative work in 2017 and plans for 2018

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin, as usual at the end of the year, will meet with senior officials of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament) and the State Duma (lower house of parliament) and the heads of the two houses’ committees.

The Kremlin press service reported that "[the participants] in the meeting will sum up the results of the performance of the country’s parliament, it is planned to discuss topical issues of legislative drafting activities and priority tasks for the next year."

According to Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration, the participants in the meeting could discuss both the results of legislative work in 2017 and plans for 2018. He earlier told reporters that one of the issues is likely to "be related to lawmaking, results of the performance during this year and the tasks for the next year." Kiriyenko noted that the meeting’s agenda would depend on the president’s decision. He added that the head of state "always has plenty of issues that should be discussed with the senior officials of the parliament."

A few specific issues that lawmakers intend to raise were mentioned by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. He told reporters that many of them would have an opportunity "to come up with their proposals as part of executing the president’s orders."

Volodin also said it was planned to discuss the initiatives concerning support for and protection of businesses put forward by Putin, including in terms of transferring part of the funds to Russia and capital amnesty. He stressed that the parliamentarians supported the presidential initiatives, and the conversation with the head of state "would make it possible to tackle these issues more effectively through some amendments that are expected to be introduced and legislative regulation."

At a meeting with big business representatives in the Kremlin on Thursday, December 21, Putin ordered to ensure the issuance of special foreign currency bonds to return capital to Russia.

Parliament’s work

The State Duma completed its autumn session on December 22. According to Volodin, legislative support for the president's address to the Federal Assembly was a key priority of this parliamentary season. The State Duma speaker noted that the plan included 97 laws, 74 of them were to be passed in 2017 and 23 in 2018. Volodin stressed that all planned 74 laws had been passed.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Federation Council has not completed its work yet. Senators will gather for the 426th meeting on December 26. They are to consider dozens of bills passed by the State Duma.