MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. Washington is persistently trying to intervene in Russia’s domestic affairs but it is bound to fail, Chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Leonid Slutsky said, responding to a statement by US House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer over the opposition rallies in Moscow.
"He described those detained during unauthorized rallies as ‘political prisoners,’ hurling allegations that the so-called ‘regime’s crackdown’ on them ‘ought to alarm the world’," Slutsky wrote on Facebook.
According to him, "the United States is the only country in the world that considers it possible for its legislators to interfere with the sovereignty of other countries." "However, Mr. Hoyer, I can assure you that Washington’s plans concerning Russia are bound to fail. Our lawmakers will oppose them," Slutsky went on to say.
He pointed out that "it is Maria Butina [a Russian national serving a prison term in the US] who is a political prisoner, and the world ought to be alarmed about the United States’ brazen policy aimed at establishing global hegemony."
The opposition factions in the State Duma earlier called for an investigation into various foreign media outlets and diplomatic missions for meddling in Russia’s domestic affairs, particularly during the recent unauthorized rally in Moscow. The ruling party — United Russia — supported the initiative.
On Monday, Russian Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said following a meeting with State Duma Security and Anti-Corruption Committee Chairman Vasily Piskarev that the State Duma Council would hold a special meeting on August 19 to discuss foreign interference in Russia’s domestic affairs. The Council will particularly assess the possibility of setting up a special commission on the matter.