MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Konstantin Kosachev believes that it is crucial to ensure a high level of Russia’s participation in the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament which will be held in Vienna in September 2021, the upper house’s press service reported on Tuesday. 

"It seems vital to ensure a high level of Russia’s participating in the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament which will take place exclusively in person to have the opportunity to communicate Russia’s positions on key international issues to leaders of world parliaments," the senator said during talks with Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong.

Kosachev recalled that the conference is traditionally held by the union every five years and will be held in Vienna this year. "The current conference was supposed to take place in 2020, however, it was rescheduled for this year in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, an expert-level videoconference discussion was held and Russian senators took part in it," the senator added.