MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Committee for Foreign Affairs is hoping for development of inter-parliamentarian cooperation with Qatar, while the parliamentary elections in the country scheduled for October 2021 will become an important step towards stronger parliamentarianism, the Duma committee’s press service said in a statement Wednesday.

The committee pointed out that Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s speech at the opening of the 49th Consultative Assembly session "drew position reaction in Russian society which is actively interested in affairs of friendly Qatar and believe its population to be a brotherly nation." "We would particularly like to focus on the part of the speech regarding the announcement of elections to the Consultative Assembly in October 2021 in accordance with the Qatari constitution. We warmly welcome and support this decision," the statement reads.

"We are convinced that these elections will become an important step in strengthening parliamentarianism in Qatar, perfecting legal foundations and deepening participation of citizens in legislative process. It is especially great that friendly Qatar’s statehood development is happening at the backdrop of good traditions of close ties between the Emir rule and society as well as in succession of values of goodness, grace and mutual assistance," the State Duma committee emphasized.

The foreign affairs committee "sincerely hopes for development and strengthening of inter-parliamentarian cooperation between Russia and Qatar." "We are open for cooperation with the Consultative Assembly on all numerous issues of the Russian-Qatari agenda. We are certain that all the new global architecture of the 21st century that is being formed now in broader sense will benefit from it and not only our countries and nations," the statement notes.

The committee especially highlighted the fact that the toughest challenge of the coronavirus pandemic did not become "an obstacle on the path of development of parliamentarianism." The State Duma committee also pointed out the successes achieved by Qatar in various spheres as well as "Qatar’s role in regional affairs." "Not a single significant issue relating to ensuring stability and security of the Middle East as well as settlement of local crises is addressed without Doha," the press service concluded.