MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. There is a need to build inter-parliamentary dialogue between Russia and the US and return ties to normalcy, Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky told reporters on Tuesday.

"The lack of contacts between parliaments is definitely abnormal," he said. "I hope that we will eventually overcome the situation and return ties between Russian and US lawmakers to normalcy. We have been working with our US counterparts on a day-to-day basis to implement these plans," Slutsky added.

According to him, State Duma members are ready to meet with American senators during their planned visit to Moscow. "We know that a group of US senators plan to visit Moscow. For our part, we intend to meet with them in order to discuss the Syria issue, European affairs, NATO and security architecture in various regions," Slutsky said.

At the same time, he expressed regret that the US House of Representatives had not shown readiness to boost cooperation. "We would like to establish closer contacts with the House of Representatives… But they have been either ignoring our numerous calls or saying that the time is not right yet," the senior Russian lawmaker noted.

However, he was hopeful that meetings and talks with members of the US Congress would take place on the sidelines of the summer session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Berlin. "Besides, we have been maintaining close contacts with many non-governmental foundations and universities… Our committee plans to hold a large-scale seminar together with the Russian Institute for US and Canadian Studies," Slutsky added.

According to earlier reports, a group of US senators may make a visit to Moscow in early July.