MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) MP Inga Yumasheva, who was questioned by the FBI at the New York airport, will return to Russia on Tuesday to discuss the incident with her colleagues, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin told reporters on Monday.
"We expect our colleague Yumasheva to come back home tomorrow. We will meet with her to discuss what happened," Volodin said. According to him, the incident with Yumasheva may also be discussed by the State Duma Council, which will then consider introducing measures to avoid such situations in the future.
"I would like to stress that it is of key importance to hear what Inga Yumasheva has to say," Volodin said, recalling that Yumasheva has made a significant contribution to developing relations between US Congress and the Russian State Duma in tough conditions. "When she was granted a visa, we thought that everything is going fine, this is just a regular trip for her, during which she will foster relations to ensure mutual understanding between our parliaments," he noted.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov reported that Yumasheva, who arrived at the Fort Ross Dialogue Forum, was detained at New York Airport by FBI officers for interrogation, which lasted about an hour. "She was detained at the New York airport, asked to proceed to an isolated room. A FBI agent identified himself and started questioning her for about an hour," the ambassador said. "Moreover, it was suggested that she meet the FBI agent in a more informal environment to continue this interaction," he added.
Yumasheva was elected to the State Duma through the federal list of the United Russia party and represents the Republic of Bashkortostan. She is a member of the International Affairs Committee.